Elite society elects Dr. Burant as fellow

Taubman Institute director Charles F. Burant, MD, PhD has been elected to the latest class of fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Burant, an endocrinologist and physician-researcher, was selected for his distinctive molecular and metabolomic research on insulin resistance, therapy for diabetes and management of obesity combined with stimulation…

Award aids ovarian cancer research

Karen McLean, MD, PhD, has received a $50,000 collaborative grant from the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance. Dr. McLean, a Kenneth and Frances Eisenberg Emerging Scholar, is a surgeon and physician who cares for patients with gynecological cancers. Her laboratory focuses on understanding why ovarian cancers grow and spread, with particular attention to the impact of…

Advancing psoriasis discovery

The American Skin Association presented one of its 2021 Research Achievement Awards to Johann Gudjonsson, MD, PhD, a Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar. Dr. Gudjonsson Dr. Gudjonsson clinical focus is on complex medical dermatology, particularly patients with severe inflammatory skin diseases including psoriasis. Dr. Gudjonsson’s primary research focus is basic immunological and genetic research…

Deciphering dementia

Sami Barmada, MD, PhD, is the co-investigator on several new funding awards, two R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health, a Department of Defense grant focusing on ALS, and a collaborative grant from the Target ALS foundation. Dr. Barmada, a Danto Family Foundation Emerging Scholar, is an associate professor of neurology who studies ALS…

Strides in vascular research

Katherine Gallagher, MD, is the 2021 recipient of the Gill Heart and Vascular Institute Award for Early Achievements in Cardiovascular Research. The award is presented to investigators for innovation and creativity that has impacted cardiovascular research or advancements in clinical care. Dr. Gallagher, a vascular surgeon and Taubman Emerging Scholar, is the John R. Pfeifer…

Fighting life-threatening infection

Taubman Emerging Scholar Scott Van Epps, MD, PhD, has received $25,000 in seed funding from the U-M Biointerfaces Institute. Dr. Van Epps is an assistant professor in Emergency Medicine, Biomedical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering. He also serves as an investigator for the Biointerfaces Institute and an associate director at the Michigan Center for…

Defeating treatment-resistant brain cancer

Taubman Emerging Scholar Daniel Wahl, MD, PhD, was among six recipients nationwide of the 2021 Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award, which recognizes outstanding early-career physician-scientists working to develop new cancer therapies. Dr. Wahl is an assistant professor of radiology who specializes in cancers of the central nervous system. His research particularly focuses on the metabolism…

Funding aids depression research

Taubman Emerging Scholar Brendon Watson, MD, PhD, has received new R01 funding of $450,000 per year from 2021 to 2026, to study stress and depression. The research will focus on brain and body responses to various stressors, measuring more than 50 metrics to observe effects on circadian changes, neural circuits and more. Dr. Watson, a…