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MEMORANDUM
TO: College of Medicine Faculty
FROM: Teresa M. Reyes, PhD
Senior Associate Dean of Basic and Translational Research
Brett M. Kissela, MD, MS
Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research
DATE: March 16, 2026
RE: Gallery of Awardees
The CoM Office of Research understands the challenges of successfully competing for funding to support faculty research programs. We publicize those faculty who have been awarded external grants of $100,000/yr. or more in direct costs in a Gallery of Awardees. The Gallery is displayed in the CARE/Crawley Atrium and electronic posters will be posted on CoM digital signage.
Please note that it may take 2-3 months before the Gallery of Awardees recognizes new awards due to the processing of data.
Researchers currently featured are:
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Jason T. Blackard, PhD, Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Award: National Institute on Drug Abuse R01
Project Title: Single Cell Opioid (Fentanyl) Responses in the Context of HIV
Project Period: 7/15/2025–3/31/2030
Summary: Fentanyl is now involved in the vast majority of opioid overdose deaths, yet its effects on immune cells and viral infections remain poorly understood. Building on prior NIDA‑funded work, this project uses multi‑omics analyses of well‑characterized patient samples to define how fentanyl alters immune cell gene expression and microRNA profiles in people with HIV and/or HCV. These insights will inform strategies to reduce viral reactivation and improve treatment outcomes in populations affected by opioid use. Collaborators include Krishna M. Roskin, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
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Lane LaFleur Frasier, MD, MS, Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Award: Air Force Research Laboratory Award
Project Title: Building High Volume En Route Care Simulations to Analyze and Optimize Patient Transports for Great Power Competition: New Simulation Center Infrastructure
Project Period: 2/9/2026–2/8/2027
Summary: This project addresses critical gaps in the Critical Air Transport team’s ability to manage mass‑casualty care, large‑volume en route care patient transports, triage, and prolonged field care in denied air spaces. The work develops high‑fidelity simulation models and assessment tools that provide physiological feedback to enable accelerated learning, just‑in‑time training, rapid upskilling, and evaluation of training effectiveness.
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Caroline Freiermuth, MD, MHS, Associate Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
Award: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Award
Project Title: IH26 Integrated Harm Reduction
Project Period: 9/30/2025–9/29/2026
Summary: The University of Cincinnati Early Intervention Program works to ensure naloxone is widely available across Hamilton and Butler Counties to prevent fatal opioid overdoses. Through emergency department and community outreach, Health Promotion Advocates identify high‑risk individuals, provide education and referrals, and distribute harm‑reduction resources. With fentanyl increasingly present in the local drug supply, expanding naloxone access is critical to reducing overdose‑related morbidity and mortality.
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Chen Gao, PhD, Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neurobiology
Award: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute R01
Project Title: Stress Regulated RNA Degradation in Cardiac Hypertrophy
Project Period: 9/1/2025–5/31/2030
Summary: This research defines how stress‑regulated mRNA degradation reshapes the cardiac transcriptome and contributes to hypertrophy and dysfunction. By characterizing a newly identified Upf1–RBFox1c RNA‑regulatory complex, the project links altered RNA stability to heart disease and may reveal novel therapeutic targets for selectively modulating pathogenic gene expression.
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Michael D. Goodman, MD, Professor
Department of Surgery
Award: Air Force Research Laboratory Award
Project Title: Validation of Nailfold Capillary Refill Time to Identify Hemorrhagic Shock States and to Guide Resuscitation in Trauma Patients
Project Period: 12/8/2025–12/7/2026
Summary: Future combat evacuation will require noninvasive, reusable tools to guide resuscitation when laboratory testing is unavailable. This study evaluates nailfold capillary refill time as a practical alternative to blood‑based markers for assessing tissue perfusion in trauma patients, supporting safer care in mass‑casualty and resource‑limited settings. Collaborators include Dina Gomaa, Department of Surgery.
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Margaret “Meg” H. Zeller, PhD, Professor, K12 PI/Program Director
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Moises A. Huaman, MD, MSc, Associate Professor, K12 Associate Program Director
Department of Internal Medicine
Award: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences K12
Project Title: Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (K12 Portion)
Project Period: 8/17/2025–5/31/2030
Summary: The University of Cincinnati’s CCTST has a strong history of training leaders in clinical and translational research, with its KL2 program graduating 33 Scholars since 2009 who show high career retention, productivity, and nearly $400M in external funding. Building on this success, UC is transitioning to a K12 mechanism with a sharpened focus on team‑based translational science with real‑world health impact. The K12 program will recruit early‑career investigators, accelerate their path to independence through mentored research and professional development, and leverage UC’s robust resources and integrated CCTST 4.0 training environment to maximize Scholar success.
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Angelico Mendy, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor
Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences
Award: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases R21
Project Title: Multi‑Ancestry Genome‑wide Association Analysis and Polygenic Risk Score of Moderate‑to‑Severe Asthma
Project Period: 8/1/2025–7/31/2027
Summary: Moderate-to-severe asthma affects 10 to 15% of asthmatic patients but accounts for over 50% of the healthcare cost. It affects all racial/ethnic groups but has a higher burden in minority populations which have been absent from the previous genome-wide association studies of this asthma subtype. Therefore, it is of public health importance to identify genetic variants associated with moderate-to-severe asthma and to develop polygenic risk score that will allow for disease prediction in multi-ancestry and ancestry-specific populations.
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Teresa M. Reyes, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for Basic and Translational Research, Professor
Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neurobiology
Award: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke R21
Project Title: Role of Perinatal Testosterone in Programming Behavioral and Astrocyte Responses to Early‑Life Chemotherapy
Project Period: 8/1/2025–7/31/2027
Summary: This research investigates how sex differences in early brain development—particularly a perinatal testosterone surge in males—may alter astrocyte calcium signaling and increase vulnerability to later cognitive deficits. Using a translational mouse model of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) plus chemotherapy, the work examines why males show greater long‑term impairments in executive function and memory while females appear more resilient. By combining astrocyte‑specific gene analyses, calcium imaging, and advanced behavioral testing, the study aims to pinpoint astrocyte mechanisms that drive cognitive dysfunction and reveal new targets for intervention after early‑life cancer treatment.
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Jeffrey R. Strawn, MD, Associate Vice Chair of Research, Professor
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience
Achala Vagal, MD, Ben Felson Endowed Chair, Associate Dean of Clinical & Translational Science and Training, Professor
Department of Radiology
Jareen Meinzen-Derr, PhD, MPH, Executive Associate Director, Associate Dean of Clinical & Translational Science and Training, Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Biostatistics & Epidemiology
Award: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences UM1
Project Title: Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (UM1 Portion)
Project Period: 7/1/2025–6/30/2032
Summary: Since 2009, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST)—a partnership between the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center—has advanced clinical and translational research across the tristate region through interdisciplinary collaboration and strong translational infrastructure. CCTST 4.0 adopts a systems science approach to function as a learning health system focused on accelerating equitable translation of discovery into practice. Aligned with NCATS priorities, CCTST emphasizes partnerships, community engagement, data‑driven research, and training a diverse workforce to improve health across the lifespan.
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Achala Vagal, MD, MS, Ben Felson Endowed Chair, Associate Dean of Clinical & Translational Science and Training, Professor
Department of Radiology
Award: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Award
Project Title: Validation of Early Prognostic Data for Recovery Outcomes after Stroke for Future, Higher Yield Trials (VERIFY)
Project Period: 7/2/2025–1/31/2027
Summary: VERIFY will validate biomarkers of upper extremity (UE) motor outcome in the acute ischemic stroke window for immediate use in clinical trials and explore these biomarkers in ischemic stroke. The central hypothesis is that patients have different UE outcomes depending on corticomotor system (CMS) function, measured as motor evoked potential (MEP) status with TMS, and on CMS structure, measured as acute lesion load with MRI. VERIFY will create the first multicenter, large-scale, prospective dataset of clinical, TMS, and MRI measures in the acute stroke time window. Collaborators include Lily L. Wang, MBBS, MPH, Department of Surgery; Brady J. Williamson, PhD, Department of Radiology; Joseph P. Broderick, MD, Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine.
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Jane J. Yu, PhD, Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Award: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute R01
Project Title: Dysregulation of Sphingolipid Metabolism and Signaling in LAM
Project Period: 9/3/2025–5/31/2029
Summary: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a rare, progressive lung disease with no therapies that reverse lung damage. This project targets estrogen‑driven sphingolipid signaling and tests FDA‑approved combination therapies to reverse lung remodeling, with strong potential for rapid translation to clinical trials. Collaborators include W. Sean Davidson, PhD, Department of Pathology;
Nishant Gupta, MD, MS, Department of Internal Medicine; Wei Shi, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine.
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T. John Winhusen, PhD, Vice Chair of Addiction Sciences, Donald C. Harrison Endowed Chair in Medicine, Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Award: National Institute on Drug Abuse CTN‑0080‑A‑1 (SUCCESS Study)
Project Title: Successful Recruitment and Retention in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Pregnant People with OUD
Project Period: 3/1/2024–2/28/2026
Summary: This study identifies strategies to improve recruitment and retention of pregnant individuals with opioid use disorder in randomized controlled clinical trials.
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