2024 KL2 Career Development Awards Announced for Early Career Clinical and Translational Scientists

This is an updated version of a previous news story to reflect a change in KL2 scholar selection. Dillon Dzikowicz, PhD, RN, PCCN, declined acceptance in favor of funding from the American Heart Association.

The next generation of clinical and translational scientists at URMC are receiving two years of support through the UR CTSI Career Development Award (KL2). The KL2 creates opportunity for up-and-coming researchers to design a pilot project that will lead to a K- or R-award application under the guidance of a mentorship team of experienced researchers. Four faculty are receiving a KL2 award for 2024.

“These researchers show great promise in the clinical and translational science field, and the KL2 program gives them the opportunity to develop impactful research and benefit from the expertise of established faculty,” said Program Director Thu H. Le, MD, FAHA.

The 2024 KL2 awardees are:

Annamarie Defayette, PhD
Mentors: Anthony Pisani, PhD (primary); Kathi Heffner, PhD; Steven Silverstein, PhD
Project: “Social Networks and Inflammation as Potential Targets for Suicide Prevention in Young People at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis”

Defayette is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Suicide Prevention Research with the Department of Psychiatry. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology from George Mason University in 2022.

 

Sandhya Seshadri, PhD, MA, MS
Mentor: Benzi Kluger, MD, MS
Project: "Competence, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Connections (CARe Connections): Adaptation and Design of an Intervention to Improve Holistic Support for Parkinson's Disease & Related Disorders Care Partners"

Seshadri is a research assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and at the Center for Health and Technology, and an assistant professor of clinical nursing with the School of Nursing.

 

Lee Kehoe, PhD
Mentors: Supriya Mohile, MD, MS (primary); Kim Van Orden, PhD; Charles Kamen, PhD, MPH; Allison Magnuson, DO; Michael Sohn, PhD
Project: “Pilot Randomized Control Trial of an Adapted Telehealth Dyadic Life Review Intervention for Older Patients with Advanced Cancer and their Caregivers”

Kehoe is a research assistant professor in the departments of Surgery, Cancer Control and Psychiatry, Research. She earned a PhD in counseling and counselor education at the University of Rochester in 2020.

 

Sarah Mohajeri Moghaddam, MD, MPH
Mentors: Gretchen Birbeck, MD, MPH (primary); Michael Potchen, MD
Project: “Imaging Hypoxic Brain Injury in Cerebral Malaria: Role in the Acute Phase of Disease, Death and Long-term Sequela in Survivors”

Moghaddam is an assistant professor in the departments of Imaging Sciences and Neurology. She completed her MD at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in 2014.

More information about the KL2 program and application requirements can be found here.

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The Career Development program described in this article is supported by the University of Rochester CTSA award number KL2 TR001999 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.

Michael Hazard | 4/22/2024

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