BWF Announces 2013 Career Awards for Medical Scientists

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is pleased to announce the recipients for the 2013 Career Awards for Medical Scientists.  The 10 individuals will receive $700,000 over five years to support the transition from a postdoctoral to a faculty position.

The Career Award for Medical Scientists provides support for physician scientists to pursue a career in academic research.   Since CAMS creation in 2006, the program has funded 72 researchers, 69 of whom are still in research.

“The program was initially funded to address the shrinking number of physician scientists,” said BWF President Dr. John E. Burris.  “Although there continues to be a shortfall in the number of physician scientists, our applicants are of the highest quality and remain dedicated to research that has a strong clinical basis.”

BWF received 102 eligible nominations.  The program’s advisory committee interviewed 21 finalists before recommending their selections to the BWF Board of Directors.

2013 Career Awards for Medical Scientists

Susanne Elizabeth Ahmari, M.D., Ph.D.
Columbia University
Testing the Role of Cortico-Striatal Circuits in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Pathology and Treatment

Gautam Bhave, M.D., Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Role of Peroxidasin and Protein Halogenation in Diabetic Nephropathy

Ajai Arvind Dandekar, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Washington
Quorum sensing and mechanisms to ensure cooperation in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Andrew Eugene Hermann Elia, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Proteomic analysis of ubiquitination and protein stability in the DNA damage response

Gaorav P Gupta, M.D., Ph.D.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
DNA Damage Responses in Breast Cancer Pathogenesis

Andrew Caleb Hsieh, M.D.
University of California-San Francisco
Elucidating the role of aberrant translational control on prostate cancer invasion and metastasis

Jean-Sebastien Joyal, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Montreal Faculty of Medicine
Neuronal Energy Metabolism Drives Angiogenesis

Alex Kentsis, M.D., Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Tumorigenesis by endogenous DNA transposons in human cancer.

Jeniel Emily Nett, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mechanisms of Candida Biofilm Immune Evasion

Rhea Myers Sumpter, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center-Dallas
A novel role for FANCC in selective autophagy

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The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is a private, independent foundation located in Research Triangle Park, NC.  BWF is dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and other educational endeavors.

Media Contact:  Russ Campbell at 919/667-8866 or news[at] bwfund.org