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.