Ramping up diversity in research
Enriching Hennepin Healthcare's representation
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continue to be important elements of Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute’s (HHRI) mission, and are values the organization is prioritizing with its research and in its staff. HHRI is heightening its emphasis on DEI by fostering a movement to include more communities of color in its mission of achieving scientific excellence.
To drive HHRI’s DEI goals forward, Warren McKinney, PhD, was named HHRI’s first Vice President for Equity in Research in the spring of 2022. In this role, Dr. McKinney is instrumental in supporting HHRI’s investigators and researchers conducting studies in marginalized communities facing healthcare disparities.
“It’s been quite an exciting period,” Dr. McKinney said. “Overall, this will be key as the organization navigates its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities roadmap,” he said.
Much of Dr. McKinney’s work focuses on the disparities people of color often experience after being put on the waiting list to get a kidney transplant.
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Minnesota Monthly 2024 Top Doctors
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While everyone at Hennepin Healthcare and HHRI makes a difference every day, we want to give an extra shout-out to the physician-researchers featured in this year's prestigious Minnesota Monthly's 2024 Top Doctors. | |
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Woubeshet Ayenew, MD, Cardiology
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Lawrence Kerzner, MD, FACP, AGSF, Geriatric Medicine
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Jason Baker, MD, MS, Infectious Diseases
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Douglas Rausch, MD, Hematology
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Gavin Bart, MD, PhD, Addiction Medicine
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Laura LaFave, MD, Endocrinology and Metabolism
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Samuel Maiser, MD, Hospice and Palliative Medicine/Neurology
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Gautam R. Shroff, MBSS, FACC, Cardiology
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Allyson Hart, MD, MS, Nephrology
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David Hilden, MD, MPH, FACP, Internal Medicine
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Brian Grahan, MD, PhD, Addiction Medicine
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Rachel Koreth, MD, Hematology
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Mariam Anwar, MBBS, Geriatric Medicine
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Matthew Prekker, MD, MPH, Critical Care Medicine/ED
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James W. Leatherman, MD, Critical Care Medicine
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Charles Reznikoff, MD, FACP, FASAM, Addiction Medicine
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Tyler Winkelman, MD, MSc, Internal Medicine
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Amanda Noska, MD, MPH, Infectious Diseases
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Jake Matlock, MD, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
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Kerry Sheets, MD, Geriatric Medicine
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Mark Sprenkle, MD, MSc, Critical Care Medicine
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Nicholas S. Vogenthaler, MD, MPH, Infectious Diseases
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Natarajan V. Raman, Radiation Oncology
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Satya Bommakanti, MD, Hematology
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Allison Estrada, MD, Endocrinology and Metabolism
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2024 Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Rising Stars
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Please join us in congratulating the following physician-researchers who were named 2024 Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Rising Stars. You can see the full list of Hennepin Healthcare's Rising Stars here. | |
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Dr. Sabayan's lab receives NIH Award for research on diabetes, brain health, and dementia risk
Each year in the United States, 1.4 million people are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM), with older adults representing the majority of these cases. DM significantly affects brain health, with over 30% of older adults with DM diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Although the link between DM and dementia risk is well-established, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and there are currently no reliable biomarkers to identify patients at higher risk.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), has recently awarded a research grant to the Brain Health and Cerebrovascular Care Lab at HHRI. This grant will support Behnam Sabayan, MD, MSc, PhD, and his research team at the Department of Neurology in investigating the role of insulin function in the brain and its impact on preserving brain structure and function in patients with DM. Their research will focus on how the brain sends measurable biochemical signals to other organs in patients with DM, indicating the brain’s metabolic health and helping to predict future dementia risk.
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2025 cohort of Mothers Leading Science program features HHRI researchers
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) investigator Kerry Sheets, MD, geriatrician, was featured in the University of Minnesota’s Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) news welcoming the sixth cohort of researcher-moms into Mothers Leading Science. This cohort is part of a yearlong leadership development program for research-intensive faculty in the health sciences who are raising young children.
This year’s cohort includes 13 participants from various disciplines, such as pediatrics, biomedical engineering, and veterinary medicine. HHRI’s Allyson Hart, MD, MS, nephrologist, is the Co-Director of Mothers Leading Science. The program focuses on leadership development, peer mentoring, and balancing professional and personal roles. Since 2017, it has empowered over 50 women to lead in academic health sciences.
Previously, other HHRI investigators have also participated in this program. You can read more about Dr. Sheets and the other new Mothers Leading Science participants here.
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Publications, Events & Media Highlights | -
Study demonstrates efficacy of iron supplements for children living with HIV — Infectious disease and HIV physician and investigator Anne Frosch, MD, MPH, recently published an article in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet HIV on her work studying the effects of iron supplementation in children living with HIV and mild-to-moderate anemia in Uganda. The study findings show that iron supplementation may have hematological benefits and increased iron levels in children living with HIV in Uganda. You can read the study here.
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National Native American Heritage Month: A Conversation with Dr. Casey Dorr — Nephrology investigator and first-generation descendant of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Casey Dorr, PhD, MS, discussed his research in pharmacogenomics and his ongoing work to improve representation among researchers at the FDA's OHMHHE Health Equity Lecture Series on November 13, 2024. View a recording of the conversation here.
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Hennepin Healthcare 2024 Annual Meeting highlights how it's advancing its mission — Hennepin Healthcare held its annual meeting on October 23, 2024. The agenda included a look back at the past 12 months and a look ahead to the future. View a recording of the event.
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Warnings about "pink cocaine" — Gavin Bart, MD, PhD, Director of the Division of Addiction Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare and addiction researcher, was interviewed on 830 WCCO-AM radio about a new street drug called “pink cocaine.” Listen to the full audio clip on 830 WCCO-AM here. The story can be heard at the 4:09 mark.
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Featured Department: Office for Equity in Research | |
The Office for Equity in Research (OER) was created by Hennepin Healthcare and HHRI to improve equity in research. It's spearheaded by nephrology, kidney transplantation, and health disparities researcher and HHRI Vice President of Equity in Research, Warren McKinney, PhD.
The experience of disease in the United States can vary greatly by individual characteristics and between demographic groups and geographies. The Hennepin Healthcare System hopes to change this by investing in a coordinated approach to reduce barriers and facilitate health equity research by engaging with BIPOC and underserved communities in a more in-depth manner. OER strives to make HHRI the premier community engaged research institute in the Twin Cities.
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