President Honors 20 NIH-Supported Early Career Scientists
Photo: Lawrence Jackson
On May 5, President Obama honored 20 NIH-supported scientists for their innovative research and contributions to medicine and health. They were among 105 researchers who received the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the federal government to outstanding early career scientists and engineers.
“The PECASE awardees are truly remarkable young scientists,” said NIH director Dr. Francis Collins. “NIH is proud to support 20 recipients, and we look forward to the many biomedical breakthroughs their careers are certain to produce.”
Of 20 NIH-supported awardees, two are intramural investigators:
Dr. Katie Kindt, acting chief of NIDCD’s section on sensory cell development and function, was recognized for studies on disorders in mechanosensation including hearing, balance and touch.
Dr. Andre Larochelle, an NHLBI investigator, was cited for gene and stem cell-based regenerative therapies that can potentially restore lost, damaged or aging cells and tissues in the human body. His team is focusing on inherited disorders affecting blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells.
Grantee winners include: Dr. Hillel Adesnik, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Samantha Brugmann, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Dr. Namandje Bumpus, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Kafui Dzirasa, Duke University; Dr. Camilla Forsberg, University of California, Santa Cruz; Dr. Tina Goldstein, University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Viviana Gradinaru, California Institute of Technology; Dr. Jordan J. Green, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Jennifer Lorvick, Research Triangle Institute International; Dr. Courtney Miller, Scripps Research Institute; Dr. Kiran Musunuru, Harvard University; Dr. David J. Pagliarini, University of Wisconsin; Dr. Sachin Patel, Vanderbilt University; Dr. Amy Ralston, Michigan State University; Dr. Ervin Sejdic, University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Elizabeth Skidmore, University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Kay Maxine Tye, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Muhammad Walji, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston.
“We congratulate these accomplished individuals,” said Obama, “and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people.”