Junior Faculty Diversity Grants

The CUIMC Grant Program for Junior Faculty Who Contribute to the Diversity Goals of the University is designed to advance the careers of outstanding junior faculty who contribute to the diversity goals of the University through their research, teaching and mentoring activities. Requests for proposals occur twice a year in the fall and spring, and the maximum award is $25,000. Grants are administered within each health science school, and the number and criteria of proposals accepted for funding is at the discretion of the school.

Previous Grantees

Winter 2023 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Ashley M. Blanchard, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (in Emergency Medicine) at the Columbia University Medical Center

Lock and Protect: An Emergency Department Randomized Controlled Trial to Reduce Adolescent Access to Lethal Means of Suicide

Rossana M. Calderon Moreno, MD, MPH

Instructor in Medical Sciences (in Medicine) at the Columbia University Medical Center

Vitamin A Actions on Gut Endocrine Cell Function and Plasticity

Jae-eun K. Miller, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry)

Neuronal circuit-level mechanisms of memory storage and loss in Alzheimer's disease

Fall 2022 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Danielle S. Ahn, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Characterizing the immunomicrometabolome (IMM) in chronically instrumented airways: A multi-omics approach for improving diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia

Andrea T. Duran, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine) at the Columbia University Medical Center

Implementation Potential of Nontraditional Cardiac Rehabilitation in a Real-World Clinical Setting

Dana L. Sacco, MD

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center

DEtecting FENtanyl to Decrease ovERdose (DEFENDER Study)

Kaveri A. Thakoor, PhD, MS

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmic Science (in Ophthalmology)

Automating Detection of Glaucoma Progression in Space & Time with Visual Transformers

Spring 2022 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Jennifer DeFazio, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Columbia University Medical Center

Surgical Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Children

Gregory A. Joice, MD

Assistant Professor of Urology at the Columbia University Medical Center

Exploring the Microbiome in Men’s Health and Disease: A Pilot Study

Claudia Lugo-Candelas, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry

Perinatal experiences of discrimination and poor sleep health: examining the role of nocturnal melatonin secretion as a possible modifiable mechanism 

Jordan G. Nestor, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Center

Digital Tools for Precision Nephrology

Spring 2021 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Billy Caceres, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN

Assistant Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing 

Exploring Psychological and Epigenetic Influences on Blood Pressure in Black and/or Latinix LGBTQ+ Adults

Ana B. Emiliano, MD, MSc

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Celiac Ganglia Hyperactivity in Obesity 

Nan-Kai Wang, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Investigating the Mechanisms Underlying the Retinal Ganglion Cell Death in a Unique Patient Specific Mutation Knock-in Mouse Model with Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Jennifer A. Woo Baidal, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Using Health Information Technology to Accelerate Timely Surveillance and Screening of Childhood Obesity Among Disproportionately Burdened Populations

Peter Yim, MD

Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Control of Vascular Tone by Peripheral GABAA Receptors

Fall 2020 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Delivette Castor, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine), Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Introduction and Scale-up of a Novel Long-acting HIV Prevention Intervention for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

Spring 2020 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Angela Gomez-Simmonds, MD, MS

Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Tracking the Spread of Multidrug-resistance Genes by Mobile Plasmids in Nursing Homes

Rebecca Haeusler, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Sex Differences in Manganese Homeostasis and Glucose Metabolism

Maya Mikami, PhD

Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Chronic Allergic Lung Inflammation Negatively Influence Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Mice

Katharina Schultebraucks, PhD

Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (in Emergency Medicine), Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Digital Biomarkers of Affect and Arousal for Accurate Prediction of Burnout in ED Physicians

Fall 2019 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Marwah Abdalla, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

The Association of Sleep Architecture with Blood Pressure Dipping

Whitney Booker, MD, MS

Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Oral Nifedipine versus Intravenous Labetalol for Postpartum Hypertensive Emergency: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Inbal Israely, PhD

Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology (in Neuroscience and the Taub Institute), Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Using Advanced Optical Methods to Probe Early Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease

Vidhu Thaker, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Defining the Role of Thyroid Function in Children with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Spring 2019 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Dominique Bailey, MD

Instructor in Pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

The Role of Tenascin in the Etiology of Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Hachung Chung, PhD

Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Investigating the Mechanism of Autoinflammation: Identifying Self-RNA Species that Trigger Inflammation

Gissette Reyes-Soffer, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Deep Phenotyping of Lipoprotein (a): An Emerging Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Fall 2018 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Jennifer Danielsson, MD

Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

TMEM16A Antagonists as a Novel Treatment for Asthma: Interaction with First-Line Agent β2-Adrenoceptor Agonists

Kanwal M Farooqi, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Implementing Models for Mechanical Circulatory Support Presurgical Assessment in Congenital Heart Disease Treatment (IMMPACT)

Cristina R. Fernández, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Effects of Maternal Prenatal Diet, Stress, and Cardiovascular Health on Infant Diet, Gastrointestinal Symptoms, and Behavior

Spring 2018 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Lauren S. Chernick, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Improving the Reproductive Health of Minority Adolescent Males with a User-Informed, Theory-Based, Digital Health Intervention

Edward Owusu-Ansah, PhD

Assistant Professor of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Boosting Mitochondrial Complex I Assembly to Alleviate Complex I Dysfunction

Fall 2017 Grantees

Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons

Brett Anderson, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Capacity Building: Leveraging Medicaid Data to Assess and Improve Longitudinal Outcomes and Costs for New York’s Most Vulnerable Congenital Heart Patients

For more information, please email: Office_Acad_Affairs@cumc.columbia.edu.