MEMORANDUM

TO:        College of Medicine Faculty and Staff

FROM:  Teresa Reyes, PhD

              Senior Associate Dean for Basic and Translational Research

              Brett M. Kissela, MD, MS

              Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research

DATE:  December 12, 2024

RE:      Announcing Research Rising Star Awardees

The College of Medicine celebrates Research Rising Stars who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to health-related research. A Research Rising Star is in the top tier of career benchmarks among peers. A Research Rising Star demonstrates excellence in:

• Publication record and impact of the publications
• Extramural funding record
• Recognition as an expert in their research area, as evidenced by invited presentations at national or international meetings or venues, recognition by and service with sponsors or professional societies, or other means of recognition
• Additional attributes that set the recipient above their peer group

This year’s nominees were exceptional and the selection was difficult. We would like to thank the department chairs who submitted nominations.

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the Research Rising Star Award:

Wei Huang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Dr. Huang holds an MD in Cardiology and a PhD from China, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Cincinnati in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She has succeeded in vigorous and independent research programs in regenerative medicine, resulting in more than 50 peer-reviewed publications with an h-index of 30, multiple research grants, and a patent. In September 2023, Dr. Huang joined the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, at the University of Cincinnati as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. Since then, she has quickly developed her research group, focusing on mitochondria-centered communication in cellular adaptation to identify new therapeutic targets for heart failure. Her work is currently sponsored by two NIH R01 grants as PI, and she recently received the Brodie STEM Fund from the University’s Office of the Provost in recognition of her research dedication.

Brittany N. Krekeler, PhD, CCC-SLP, Assistant Professor

Department of Otolaryngology

Dr. Krekeler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, with secondary appointments in Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine and Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Allied Health Sciences, and Principal Investigator of the Dysphagia Rehabilitation Laboratory. Her program of research has a fundamental focus on developing clinically feasible interventions for rehabilitation of swallowing disorders (dysphagia). The lab has NIH funding currently focused on development of biotechnological solutions for improving bedside therapy for neurogenic dysphagia. Another mission of the lab is supporting clinically-oriented research brought forth by our clinical staff, and providing a collaborative platform across institutions to improve multidisciplinary collaboration to move the field of dysphagia research forward. Dr. Krekeler attributes success of this research group to the collaborative efforts of the speech-language pathologists, otolaryngologists, and biomedical engineers who are co-investigators and research staff supporting these projects. 

Jayme McReynolds, PhD, Assistant Professor

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neurobiology

Dr. McReynolds received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Dallas before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Marquette University in the Biomedical Sciences Department. She was awarded a NIDA K01 fellowship and joined the Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neurobiology department at the University of Cincinnati in November 2019 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. She has been highly productive in her career with 23 peer-reviewed primary research papers and reviews and an H-index of 20 and serves as a Section Editor at the journal Physiology & Behavior. She has established her research program at UC investigating the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the impact of stress on addiction-related behavior using a combination of innovative behavioral, molecular, and physiological techniques. She was awarded a R37 Early-Stage Investigator MERIT Award from NIDA in 2024 as recognition of her standing and potential as a researcher in her field.