Record-Setting Grant Funding from ACG Institute for Clinical Research & Education
Dear Colleagues:
The College is committed to advancing the field of GI through the support of clinical research. This commitment is manifest in many ways, the most obvious being the clinical grants program of the ACG Institute. Through this program, the College annually awards substantial funds to promising researchers and projects, last year totaling $1,512,145. These awards are especially instrumental in the development of young clinical investigators.
Junior Faculty Development Grants
Our Junior Faculty Development program has proven itself to be a significant incubator of young research talent in our field, and as it passes its 20th birthday, numbers multiple division chiefs, department chairs, deans, and other significant contributors to academic medicine amongst its alumni. These research awards, which currently protect a substantial amount of time for research early in the careers of these recipients, are the “rocket fuel” that allows these careers to take off.
Clinical Research Awards & Pilot Awards
Our smaller awards, including ACG’s Clinical Research Awards and Pilot Awards, provide investigators not only external validation of the quality of their work, but also the seed money which often spurs other awards and further investigation. Given that the vast majority of our awards result in one or more peer-reviewed publications, members of the College can be proud of the performance of this program.
This year, as always, we have invested in the future by having a large portion of the Institute’s research dollars go to promising young investigators whose projects are listed below.
The ACG Institute recognizes with thanks the commitment of Takeda Pharmaceuticals to fostering innovation by translating science into life-changing medicines and their generous, unrestricted support of the ACG Institute G.U.T. Fund. Through their gift, a total of five Clinical Research Awards will be designated as “ACG/Takeda Clinical Research Awards.” You can learn more about this year’s recipients and Takeda’s generous gift below.
̶ Nicholas J. Shaheen, MD, MPH, FACG
Director, ACG Institute for Clinical Research & Education
2018 Junior Faculty Development Grants ($100,00 per year for 3 years)
This award allows for a three-year window of protected research time for these promising clinical investigators. Four awardees were selected, representing a range of research interests and geographic locations. If history is any indicator, these four newest ACG Scholars will become leaders in academic medicine. Our thanks go out to Jean-Paul Achkar, MD, FACG, Chair, and the hard-working Research Committee, who consistently identify for the Institute the best young research talent and optimize the Institute’s return on our research grant dollar.
Megan Adams, MD, JD, MSc, University of Michigan
Promoting High-Value Use of Endoscopic Sedation
Parakkal Deepak, MBBS, MS, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Triangular Phenotyping and Response Assessment in Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease using MRE and Novel Proteomic Biomarkers
Girish Hiremath, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Label Free Determination of Biomolecular and Biochemical Signatures in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Bench to Bedside Application of Raman Spectroscopy
Rena Yadlapati, MD, MSHS, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Determining Best Practices for Reflux Associated Laryngeal Symptoms
2018 ACG Clinical Research Awards (up to $50,000)
Increased funding this year for the ACG Clinical Research Awards and Pilot Awards shows the commitment of the ACG Institute Board, Research Committee, and the ACG Board of Trustees to guarantee funding for the highest quality research that will be most useful in our field. The core areas of focus continue to be support of evidence-based medicine, impactful, pragmatic clinical research, and work on quality of care.
Ajay Bansal, MD, University of Kansas Medical Center
Molecular Signatures of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma in Circulating Esophageal-Specific Exosomes
James Buxbaum, MD, University of Southern California
Quantitative Parameters of Pancreatic Contrast EUS Pancreas
Mohammad Nasser Kabbany, MD, Cleveland Clinic
The Effects of Gut Microbiota and FMO3 on Choline Bioavailability in Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Stacy Menees, MD, MS, University of Michigan
Low FODMAP Plus PEG 3350 for the Treatment of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Constipation
Suraj Patel, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Identifying the Genetic Drivers of Lean Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Puneeta Tandon, MD, MSc(Epi), University of Alberta
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Stress Reduction Intervention in Crohn’s Disease (CD): A Randomized Controlled Trial
2018 ACG Clinical Research Awards – Pilot Grants (up to $15,000)
Jana Al Hashash, MD, MSc, University of Pittsburgh
Patterns of MUC1 Expression in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), PSC-Related Cholangiocarcinoma, and Sporadic Cholangiocarcinoma
Jennifer Horsley-Silva, MD, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale
Use of Mucosal Impedance in Evaluation of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease after Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy
Patricia Pringle, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
Fecal Microbiota Transplant as a Treatment for Hepatic Encephalopathy
Priya Vijayvargiya, MD, Mayo Clinic Rochester
Simplifying the Diagnostic Testing for Bile Acid Malabsorption
ACG/Takeda 2018 Clinical Research Awards
Takeda Pharmaceuticals is committed to fostering innovation by translating science into life-changing medicines. As such, Takeda partners with the ACG Institute for Clinical Research and Education and supports programs, including ACG Clinical Research Awards, that are in keeping with Takeda’s priorities. In recognition of Takeda’s unrestricted support of the ACG Institute G.U.T. Fund (the supporting fund of the ACG Institute), a total of five Clinical Research Awards will be designated as “ACG/Takeda Clinical Research Awards.” Takeda selects the awards to designate after the ACG Research Committee has identified grantees and after grantees have accepted. The annual grant selection process is confidential and the Research Committee’s deliberations are closed.
For 2018, Takeda has elected to designate the following two submissions as ACG/Takeda Clinical Research Awards:
Puneeta Tandon, MD, MSc(Epi), University of Alberta
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Stress Reduction Intervention in Crohn’s Disease (CD): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Jana Al Hashash, MD, MSc, University of Pittsburgh
Patterns of MUC1 Expression in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), PSC-Related Cholangiocarcinoma, and Sporadic Cholangiocarcinoma
About the ACG Institute for Clinical Research & Education
The mission of the American College of Gastroenterology Institute for Clinical Research & Education is to promote digestive health through education of the clinician, the patient, and the public, to support clinical research and innovation in gastroenterology and hepatology, and to raise public awareness about prevention of digestive disease.