PHA GRANT AWARDEES

The Aldrighetti Research Award for Young Investigators

2022

Catherine Simpson, M.D
“Compartment-specific kynurenine pathway metabolism in PAH”
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Johns Hopkins University

2020

Vineet Agrawal, M.D.
“TGF-beta Receptor 3 as a Novel Mediator of Endothelial Metabolism in PAH”
Instructor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)

2019

Ke Yuab

Ke Yuan, Ph.D.
“SDF1 Signaling: A Master Regulator of Mural Cell-Dependent Vascular Remodeling in PAH”
Associate Scientific Researcher and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital Division of Pulmonary Medicine

2018

Zhiyu Dai, Ph.D.

Zhiyu Dai, Ph.D.
“Role of Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition on Vascular Fibrosis in PAH”
Research Assistant Professor
Northwestern University
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

2017

Nadine Al-Naamani, MD, MS
“Effect of obesity on treatment response in pulmonary arterial hypertension”
Instructor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

2016

Olivier Boucherat, PhD
“Forkhead-box (FOX) transcription factors in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Professor, Pneumology
L’Université Laval

PHA Innovation Research Award

2022

Csaba Galambos, M.D., Ph.D.
“The role of bronchial circulation in pulmonary hypertension”
Director, Pediatric Pulmonary Research and Investigator
Pediatric Heart Lung Center
Children’s Hospital Colorado

PHA Pediatric PH Research Award

2022

Paul Critser, M.D., Ph.D.
“Pulmonary vascular development in BPD associated PH”
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Barst Fund Award Winners

2019

Jason Boehme, M.D.
“Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Metabolic Reprogramming in Congenital Heart Disease”
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of California, San Francisco

2018

Michael L. O’Byrne, M.D., MSCE
“Multidimensional evaluation of health-related quality of life in pediatric pulmonary hypertension”
London A. Lotarski Pediatric PH Research & Mentoring
Assistant Professor – CE (Pediatrics)
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

2016

Meghan Bernier, MD

Meghan Bernier, MD
“LOX-1: A Therapeutic Target for Pulmonary Hypertension in Lung Endothelium”
T32 Research Fellow
The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Rachel Hopper, MD

Rachel Hopper, MD
“Comprehensive Analysis of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia”
Attending Physician
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Sheila Krishnan, DO

Sheila Krishnan, DO
“Hypoxia-dependent Epigenetic Modifications in the Pulmonary Vasculature”
Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow
Indiana University

2015

David Brian Frank, MD, PhD
“Wnt signaling progenitor cells in late lung development, regeneration, and repair”
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania

Vitaly Oleg Kheyfets, PhD
“The Cause and Effect of Decreased Wall Shear Stress in Pediatric Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus

Kara Nicole Goss, MD
“Right ventricular-pulmonary vascular interactions following postnatal hyperoxia exposure”
University of Wisconsin

2014

Rebecca Johnson Kameny, MD
“Right Ventricular Performance in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension and Congenital Heart Disease”
University of California, San Francisco

2013

Melanie Nies, MD“Pulmonary Hypertension Biomarkers”
Johns Hopkins University

Mehdi Fini, MD
“Role of Xanthine Oxidoreductase-Uric Acid Axis in Hypoxia Induced Pulmonary Hypertension”
University of Colorado Denver

PHA/ATS Research Fellowship

2019

Rahul Kumar, Ph.D.
“Crosstalk Between Bone Marrow Compartment and Inflamed Lungs in Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension”
Associate Professional Researcher, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center at University of California, San Francisco

Olivier Boucherat, Ph.D.
“Forkhead-box FOX) Transcription Factors in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Professor, Pneumology, L’Université Laval

Nadine Al-Naamani, M.D., M.S.
“Effect of obesity on treatment response in pulmonary arterial hypertension”
Instructor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

2018

Soban Umar, M.D.
“miR-125b as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Pulmonary Fibrosis”
Assistant Professor-in-Residence
University of California, Los Angeles

2017

Andrew John Sweatt, MD
“Deep immunophenotyping of pulmonary arterial hypertension by unsupervised machine learning”
Instructor of Medicine
Stanford University

2016

Farbod Rahaghi, MD, PhD

Farbod Rahaghi, MD, PhD
“CT Imaging Markers of Pulmonary Arterial and Venous Remodeling in Pulmonary Hypertension”
Instructor, Pulmonary and Critical Care
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

2015

William M. Oldham, MD, PhD
“Metabolic Flux Analysis in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

2014

Ankit A. Desai, MD
“Enhanced risk profiles of sickle cell-related pulmonary hypertension – integrating genomics & imaging”
University of Arizona

2013

Brian Graham, MD
“Determining the impact of IL6 signaling in inflammation-induced pulmonary hypertension”
University of Colorado Denver

2012

Eric Austin, MD, MSCI
“Integrative Genomic Approach to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

2011

Kazuyo Kegan, PhD
“Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 mediates Th2 immune response during development of pulmonary hypertension”
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Won Kyung Cho, PhD
“The Role of IL-13 in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Yale University School of Medicine

2010

Laura E. Fredenburgh, MD
“Oncogene Mutational Profiling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Tim Lahm, MD
“Estrogen Metabolism and Autophagy in Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension”
Indiana University

2009

Ari Zaiman, MD, PhD
“Inhibition of TGF Beta Signaling in Endothelial Cells: Role in Pulmonary Hypertension”
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Lunyin Yu, MD
“Role of NHE1 Gene in Development of Pulmonary Hypertension and Vascular Remodeling”
Massachusetts General Hospital

2008

Kewal Asosingh, PhD
“Role of Pulmonary Vascular Wall Resident Endothelial Progenitors and Circulating Bone Marrow-Derived Angiogenic Precursors in Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Cleveland Clinic

Qing Lu, DVM, PhD
“TGF-beta1 and Pulmonary Artery Hypertension”
Brown University

2007

Namasivayam Ambalavanan, MBBS, MD
“Transforming Growth Factor-β and Effects of Hypoxia on the Newborn Lung”
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Arlin Brice Blood, PhD
“The Interaction of Nitric Oxide and Hemoglobin in Regulation of Pulmonary Vascular Tone”
Loma Linda University School of Medicine

2006

Xinqi Wu, PhD
“Hypoxic Regulation of BMP Signaling and the Role of Id1 in the Development of Pulmonary Hypertension”
Children’s Hospital Boston

Todd Bull, MD
“The Role of Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus in the Development of Severe Pulmonary Hypertension”
University of Colorado

PHA Proof of Concept Award Winners

2016

Kazuyo Kegan, PhD
“Illuminating AMPK function in crosstalk between Insulin Resistance and Pulmonary Hypertension”
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
Johns Hopkins University

2015

Ke Yuan, PhD
“The role of lung pericytes as a source of occluding pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in PAH”
Stanford University

Soban Umar, MD, PhD
“Y Chromosome confers protection against pulmonary arterial hypertension”
University of California Los Angeles

2014

Daniel L. Fox, MD
“SSc-PAH Risk Score: Early Identification of Scleroderma-associated PAH by RV Strain, GDF-15 & IL&r”
University of Colorado Denver

Frances S. de Man, PhD
“A New Tool to Obtain Novel Insights in PAH-Induced Right Heart Failure”
VU University Medical Center Amsterdam

Fiona Murray, PhD
“A novel G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) target in pulmonary arterial hypertension”
University of Aberdeen, UK

Marc de Perrot, MD, MSc
“Photodynamic therapy for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension”
University of Toronto, Canada

2013

Evan L. Brittain, MD
“Cardiac Steatosis and Right Ventricular Failure in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Jiwang Chen, PhD
“Role of IL7/IL7R in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
University of Illinois at Chicago

Kylie M. Drake, PhD
“Pharmacological Correction of BMP Signaling by Read-Through in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
The Cleveland Clinic

Nicole M. Pohl, PhD
“Role of miR-181b in the Regulation of TRPC6 and the Development of Pulmonary Hypertension”
University of Illinois at Chicago

en-Rei Yu, MD, PhD
“The Role of Resident Monocytes in the Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Duke University School of Medicine

2012

Michael Yeager, PhD
“Unfolded Protein Response Confers Apoptosis Resistance and Inflammation in Pulmonary Hypertension”
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Guofei Zhou, PhD
“AMPK and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
University of Illinois College of Medicine

2011

Mary Beth Brown, PhD, PT, ATC
“Clinical Investigation of a Daily Walking Program plus L-Arginine Supplementation for the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Indiana University

Ferhaan Ahmad, MD, PhD
“Applying Genomics as a Springboard to Novel Mechanisms of Pulmonary Hypertension”
University of Pittsburgh

PHA/NHLBI Mentored Clinical Scientist Award

2016

John Huetsch, MD

John Huetsch, MD
“The Calpain/CaMKII/NHE Signaling Pathway in PAH”
Instructor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University

2015

Laura Mercer-Rosa, MD, MSCE
“Right Ventricular Remodeling and Outcome in Tetralogy of Fallot”
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

2014

Tien Peng, MD
“The role of Hedghehog signaling in pulmonary arterial hypertension”
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

2013

Bradley A. Maron, MD
“Aldosterone impairs endothelin B-dependent synthesis of nitric oxide to promote pulmonary arterial hypertension.”
Brigham & Women’s Hospital

2012

Vinicio A. de Jesus Perez, MD
“The role of the Wnt/planar cell polarity pathway in pulmonary angiogenesis.”
Stanford University Medical Center

2011

Edda Spiekerkoetter, MD
“Modulating BMPRII signaling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension”
Stanford University Medical Center

2010

Stephen Y. Chan, MD
“Functions of Hypoxia-Induced MicroRNA-210 in Pulmonary Vascular Endothelium”
Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

2009

Stephen Mathai, MD, MHS
“Neurohormonal Activation in Scleroderma related Pulmonary Hypertension”
Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine

2008

Daniel Greif, MD
“Morphogenesis of the Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Layer”
Stanford University

2007

Peter Oishi, MD
“Vascular Dysfunction with Increased Pulmonary Blood Flow: A Role for PPAR Gamma”
University of California San Francisco

2006

Paul B. Yu, MD, PhD
“The Role of the BMP Type II Receptor in Vascular Function”
Massachusetts General Hospital

2005

Roberta L Keller, MD
“Chronic Sildenafil for Severe Diaphragmatic Hernia”
University of California San Francisco

2004

Theresa R. Grover, MD
“Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Neonatal Pulmonary Hypertension”
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and The Children’s Hospital Perinatal Research Facility

2003

Reda Girgis, MD
“Statins in Experimental Pulmonary Hypertension”
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine