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The NIH Catalyst: A Publication About NIH Intramural Research

National Institutes of Health • Office of the Director | Volume 31 Issue 2 • March–April 2023

Meet 18 New Stadtman Investigators

Taking on Today’s Scientific Challenges

COMPILED BY LAURA STEPHENSON CARTER AND MICHAEL TABASKO, OD

Inventing new ways to thwart viruses and treat diseases; developing early-detection methods for cancer; investigating the connection between neural circuitry and obesity; finding ways to reduce health disparities. These are just some of the challenges that the Earl Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigators have taken on.

The Stadtman program, a trans-NIH search process that began in 2009, is named for renowned biochemist, senior investigator, and mentor Earl Stadtman (1919–2008), who devoted his 57-year career at NIH to identifying the mechanisms of cellular energy expenditure and metabolism. The program crosses all areas of biomedical research and is designed to attract a diverse group of talented early-career scientists who might not apply to NIH via searches conducted by individual institutes and centers.

Meet the 18 Stadtman Investigators who were part of the 2019 recruiting cycle. For more on the Stadtman program, how to apply, and links to stories about other Stadtmans, go to https://irp.nih.gov/careers/trans-nih-scientific-recruitments/stadtman-tenure-track-investigators.

Mustapha Bouhrara, Ph.D., NIA

Mustapha Bouhrara

Magnetic Resonance Physics of Aging and Dementia Unit, National Institute on Aging

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/mustapha-bouhrara

Research: Developing advanced magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and analysis methods for quantitative and specific neuroimaging of biomarkers of cerebral tissue microstructure and function; studying aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Adrienne Campbell-Washburn, Ph.D., NHLBI

Adrienne Campbell-Washburn

MRI Technology Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/mri-technology

Research: Developing novel MRI technology for cardiac imaging, lung imaging, and MRI-guided cardiovascular catheterization procedures. Translating new methods to clinical applications through collaboration with interventional cardiologists, imaging cardiologists, pulmonologists, radiologists, and critical-care physicians.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Ross Cheloha, Ph.D., NIDDK

Ross Cheloha

Acting Section Chief, Chemical Biology in Signaling Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/staff-directory/biography/cheloha-ross

Research: Developing new methods and tools for the study of biomolecules, with a focus on designing new compounds for targeting cell-surface receptors; particularly interested in the preparation of conjugates that consist of synthetic molecules and proteins.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Bobby Cheon, Ph.D., NICHD

Bobby Cheon

Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/bobby-cheon

Research: Investigating the health impacts of psychological experiences associated with disparities, such as discrimination, low perceived social status, and economic and resource insecurities; examining contributions of such psychosocial factors to eating behaviors, food preferences, and diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2021.


Megan Clarke, Ph.D., M.H.S., NCI-DCEG

Megan Clarke

Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute

https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/staff-directory/clarke-megan

Research: Combining molecular, clinical, and population-based approaches to address etiology, prevention, and early detection of cervical, endometrial, and anal cancers.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Allana T. Forde, Ph.D., M.P.H., NIMHD

Allana T. Forde

Epidemiology and Genetics Research Area, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/allana-forde

Research: Examining the impact of race-related stressors (such as discrimination) on cardiovascular health across the life course, with a focus on African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latinx people; exploring biological mechanisms through which discrimination affects cardiovascular health; identifying protective and adaptive factors that could inform interventions.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Luis M. Franco, M.D., NIAMS

Luis M. Franco

Functional Immunogenomics Section, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

https://www.niams.nih.gov/labs/franco-lab

Research: Working at the intersection of clinical medicine, human immunology, genomics, and bioinformatics to understand how genes control the function of cells in the human immune system and how treatments that change the expression of human genes affect the behavior of immune cells; enabling the development of better treatments for human diseases that are caused by an overactive immune system.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2019.


Meng-Meng Fu, Ph.D., NINDS

Meng-Meng Fu

Special Volunteer, Glial Cell Biology Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

https://research.ninds.nih.gov/staff-directory/meng-meng-fu-phd

Research: Studying the cell biology of oligodendrocytes (a type of glial cell in the central nervous system) to better understand normal myelin development as well as demyelinating and neurodegenerative diseases.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020; left NIH in January 2023 to become Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California at Berkeley (Berkeley, California).


Thomas Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis, Ph.D, NCI-CCR

Thomas Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis

Stadtman Investigator and NIH Distinguished Scholar, RNA Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

https://ccr.cancer.gov/staff-directory/thomas-gonatopoulos-pournatzis

Research: Studying the regulatory pathways and functional roles of alternative splicing and other pre-mRNA processing events in mammalian cells; characterizing alternative splicing programs that underlie phenotypes related to normal physiology and disease states.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Leah Katzelnick, Ph.D., NIAID

Leah Katzelnick

Chief, Viral Epidemiology and Immunity Unit, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/leah-c-katzelnick-phd-mph

Research: Using a multidisciplinary approach encompassing virology, immunology, and epidemiology to investigate protection against and susceptibility to emerging viruses; informing safe and effective deployments of vaccines; working with dengue as a model pathogen for other complex, immune-evasive viruses.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Erikka Loftfield, Ph.D., NCI-DCEG

Erikka Loftfield

Metabolic Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute

https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/staff-directory/loftfield-erikka

Research: Studying the interplay between diet, metabolism, the microbiome, and genetics, and their effects on cancer risk; leveraging developing technologies to improve dietary assessment and gain insights into diet-cancer associations.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Andrew Lutas, Ph.D., NIDDK

Andrew Lutas

Acting Section Chief, Neuromodulation and Motivation Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/andrew-lutas

Research: Understanding the principles of neuromodulation of brain circuits that control motivation; uncovering treatment strategies for obesity and comorbid diseases.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2022.


Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez, Ph.D., NIMHD

Leonardo Mariño-Ramírez

Epidemiology and Genetics Research Area, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/leonardo-marino-ramirez

Research: Analysis of genetic ancestry and electronic health records in large biobank cohorts to characterize how genetic and environmental risk factors interact to influence health disparities.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Doreen Matthies, Ph.D., NICHD

Doreen Matthies

Unit on Structural Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/atNICHD/Investigators/matthies

Research: Using a combination of molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysical methods with a focus on cryoelectron microscopy to study the structure and function of membrane protein complexes in their native lipid membrane environment; understanding how various microenvironments are formed and maintained, and how they influence the structure and function of membrane proteins.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Yekaterina Miroshnikova, Ph.D., NIDDK

Yekaterina Miroshnikova

Acting Section Chief, Section on Nuclear Mechanotransduction and Cell Fate Dynamics, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/yekaterina-miroshnikova

Research: Using cutting-edge, interdisciplinary approaches to understand the role of nuclear mechanotransduction in modulating genome architecture and gene expression patterns to tune stem-cell fate.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2021.


Matthew Wolf, Ph.D., NCI-CCR

Matthew Wolf

Head, Cancer Biomaterials Engineering Section, Cancer Innovation Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/matthew-wolf

Research: Designing complex 3D tumor models and next-generation cancer immunotherapies using a multidisciplinary combination of biomaterials science, cancer immunology, and tissue engineering.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Colin (Chih-Chien) Wu, Ph.D., NCI-CCR

Colin (Chih-Chien) Wu

Head, Translational Control of Gene Expression Section, RNA Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

https://ccr.cancer.gov/staff-directory/colin-wu

Research: Exploring the role of the ribosome in stress-response signaling pathways and translational regulation in mammalian systems; using an integrated approach that combines mass spectrometry, CRISPR screens, high-throughput chemical probing, ribosome profiling, biochemical techniques, and computational tools.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.


Ryan Young, Ph.D., NCI-CCR

Ryan Young

Ryan Young, Ph.D., NCI-CCR

Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

https://irp.nih.gov/pi/ryan-young

Research: Using cutting-edge proteogenomic techniques, high-resolution microscopy imaging, and biochemical approaches to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying oncogenic signaling in multiple myeloma (MM); finding new opportunities for the targeted treatment of MM by exploiting druggable pathways.

Became Stadtman Investigator in 2020.

This page was last updated on Thursday, March 16, 2023

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