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Jefferson Surgical Solutions

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Congratulations to these Department of Surgery faculty for receiving significant grants to support innovative research projects.

Jain awarded 2021 PanCAN Career Development Award

In July, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network named Aditi Jain, PhD, one of seven recipients of its 2021 Career Development Award. The two-year, $200,000 grant will help Dr. Jain advance her project, “Targeting BARD1 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.” In 2020, she was appointed as Research Instructor at the Jefferson Pancreas, Biliary and Related Cancer Center, and newly founded Pancreatic Cancer Research Institute (PCRI).

Dr. Jain’s research involves understanding the role of BARD1 (BRCA1-Associated Ring Domain 1) in pancreatic cancer growth, progression, and therapy resistance. Her focus is targeting this protein and potentially uncovering novel therapeutic strategies.

To learn more about the Jain Laboratory, visit: Jefferson.edu/JainLab

Okusanya named an inaugural recipient in clinical trials diversity program

A review by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration found that nearly 80 percent of clinical trial participants are white. To address this lack of diversity, the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, together with the National Medical Fellowships and the American Association for Cancer Research, launched the Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program.

Thoracic surgeon Olugbenga T. Okusanya, MD, has been selected as a recipient and awarded a two-year grant of $120,000 per year. He is one of 52 physicians from across the U.S. selected for the inaugural cohort of the five-year, $100 million initiative.

Through the program, Dr. Okusanya will be trained with additional knowledge, skills and competencies in effective community outreach and engagement

Tchantchaleishvili honored with translational research award

In July, the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation awarded Vakhtang Tchantchaleishvili, MD, the lauded ISHLT/O.H. Frazier Award in Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Translational Research. The $65,000 grant supports the project entitled “Impact of Continuous-Flow Mechanical Circulatory Support on Cerebrospinal Fluid Motility” that he designed in collaboration with Amy Throckmorton, PhD, (on sabbatical from Drexel University).

The team is investigating the impact of blood pumps on the brain and spinal fluid flow. With the funding, Dr. Tchantchaleishvili’s team will build an accurate model of the cardiovascular system, brain, and spinal fluid flow to better understand conditions that arise while using a blood pump and devise new treatment solutions for patients with heart failure.

To learn more about the Tchantchaleishvili laboratory, visit: Jefferson.edu/VTLab

Miller recognized with provost award

Earlier this year, Thomas Jefferson University recognized Stanton B. Miller, MD, MPH, with a Provost Award. Dr. Miller serves as Executive Director of the Jefferson Center for Injury Research and Prevention (JCIRP). This award supports the Center’s progress in the following major program areas: geriatric injuries, firearm violence, traffic injury, violence against the LGBTQ+ community, and suicide.

The award also enabled the conversion of the Center’s physical space on the 7th floor of the Curtis Building into a modern state of the art facility that will function as a Computer Science and Engineering Lab with the mission of scientific study and prevention of unintentional and intentional societal injuries.

To learn more about the Center, visit: Jefferson.edu/JCIRP

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