April 2025
Curiosity and collaboration, leading to excellence
Michael Welsh’s research changed understanding and treatment of cystic fibrosis. His drive to learn and forward-looking approach exemplifies teamwork and shared success at Iowa.
Welsh receives Canada Gairdner International Award for cystic fibrosis discoveries
Michael Welsh, MD, University of Iowa professor of internal medicine, has received the 2025 Canada Gairdner International Award for his research on cystic fibrosis (CF), which paved the way to new therapies that have transformed the health and life expectancy of people with CF.
January 2025
Farooq and Zembrzuska collaborate in cellular therapy work
January 23, 2025 - Accessibility to quality, patient-first treatment is one of the core pillars of University of Iowa Health Care, and it depends on a strong foundation of research. Hanna Zembrzuska, MD, MME and Umar Farooq, MD have joined forces to understand how chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) research might be applied to develop new treatments for a range of conditions, such as autoimmune diseases.
O’Neill appointed to prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation
January 17, 2025 - Brian O’Neill, MD, PhD, has been named a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), one of the most distinguished organizations for physician-scientists.
December 2024
Shining a light on racial disparities in neuroendocrine tumor research
December 20, 2024 - Hematology-oncology fellow Udhayvir Singh Grewal, MD presented at the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) conference recently in Chicago.
Dayal VA Merit Award renewal allows for continued study on susceptibilities in prediabetes
December 2, 2024 - Sanjana Dayal, PhD, associate professor in Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, received a renewal on a Veterans Affairs (VA) Merit Award, which she first received in July 2020.
October 2024
Dayal invited to join NIH hematology study section
October 23, 2024 - Sanjana Dayal, PhD, has been invited to become a member of the National Institutes of Health’s Hemostasis, Thrombosis, Blood Cells and Transfusion (HTBT) Study Section.
September 2024
Lois Geist named interim UI vice president for research
September 11, 2024 - Lois J. Geist, associate provost for faculty and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the Carver College of Medicine, has been named interim vice president for research at Iowa, effective Sept. 16.
Issuree awarded R35 Outstanding Investigator Award
September 3, 2024 - Priya Issuree, PhD, was awarded an R35 Outstanding Investigator Award, a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
August 2024
Swee wins VAQS Rising Star Award
August 29, 2024 - Melissa Swee, MD, MME, clinical assistant professor in Nephrology and Hypertension, and Iowa VA Quality Scholars (VAQS) Program Director, has been awarded the Rising Star Award by the national VA Quality Scholars Program.
Chaurasia receives Carver grant to further insulin-resistance research
Bhagirath Chaurasia, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, has received a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust. The grant will fund Chaurasia’s research program “Role of serine in development of obesity-induced insulin resistance.”
Stephens earns NIDDK R01
Samuel Stephens, PhD, Associate Professor in Endocrinology and Metabolism, has been awarded a three-year, $1.3M R01 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) for his project, Defining the contribution of mitochondrial redox metabolism to support proinsulin folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
E. Stapleton earns EHSRC CDA
Emma Stapleton, PhD, research assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, earned a one-year, $15,000 Environmental Health Sciences Research Center (EHSRC) Career Development Award (CDA).
Hagner awarded Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Fellowship Grant
Miles Hagner, MD, instructor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, was recently awarded a two-year FSR Sarcoidosis Research Fellowship Grant in the amount of $150,000 for his project, The Role of Airway Epithelial Responses in Sarcoidosis Pathophysiology.
Yu earns ALA Catalyst Award
Wenjie Yu, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Welsh Lab in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine, earned a Catalyst Award from the American Lung Association (ALA) in the amount of $50,000 per year for two years for his project, Submucosal Gland Hypertrophy in a Porcine Model of PCD: Histological, Cellular, and Pathophysiological Features.
July 2024
Hamzeh, Simmering earn Ann Theodore Foundation grant
A multidisciplinary team led by primary investigators Nabeel Hamzeh, MD and Karin Hoth, PhD has earned a two-year, $575,000 grant from the Ann Theodore Foundation to study cognitive dysfunction in people with sarcoidosis. Co-investigators are Jacob Simmering, PhD, Vincent Magnotta, PhD.
Faro leads project to improve Midwestern new moms' mental health
Elissa Faro, PhD, assistant professor in General Internal Medicine, leads a 5-year, $3.79M R01 project funded by the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) aims to improve maternal mental health care through a combination of innovative methods with a foundation in social justice focused on centering the experiences of birthing people, families, and front-line professionals.
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