December 13, 2023—(BRONX, NY)—The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers career development grants to advance the careers of young researchers. Senior postdoctoral fellows or early-career faculty members who receive these grants, referred to as K awards, have the opportunity to conduct independent research and eventually compete for major grant support. Other K awards are given to mid-career or senior investigators for their research and to mentor junior faculty. In 2023, Einstein faculty received several K awards.

Four of the awardees’ research projects focus on opioids:

• Minimizing Opioid Use in Childhood Anesthesia
  Early-life exposure to opioids is associated with numerous problems later in life, including long-term effects on cognition and motor skills and higher risk for persistent opioid use. Fortunately, infants undergoing surgery can obtain pain relief from spinal anesthetics alone, without the concomitant need for opioids. However, the neurological basis for this clinical observation is not well understood. Jerry Chao, M.D., M.S., has received a three-year, $587,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to investigate the effects of early opioid exposure on children’s brains in comparison to opioid-sparing spinal anesthesia. Using electroencephalograms (EEGs), the team will compare the neurophysiological response as well as clinical and behavioral outcomes between these two groups. Dr. Chao is an associate professor anesthesiology at Einstein and a pediatric anesthesiologist and director of the pediatric anesthesiology fellowship program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein (CHAM). (1K23DA057499)

• Examining Injectable Buprenorphine Implementation Strategies
  Buprenorphine is an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). The self-administered sublingual formulation is most commonly prescribed; the long-acting injectable formulation—which could benefit people who struggle to take daily medications—is less frequently offered. Andrea Jakubowski, M.D., M.S., has received a four-year, $783,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to implement injectable buprenorphine treatment in a primary care clinic and in a harm-reduction-based health care center for people with OUD. She will identify factors that either help or hinder the use of injectable buprenorphine and then develop and test strategies that can be used to promote its use. Dr. Jakubowski is an assistant professor of medicine at Einstein and an addiction medicine physician at Montefiore. (1K23DA052627)

• Reducing Excessive Opioid Prescribing
  Following surgery, patients prescribed opioids sometimes receive higher doses than necessary, leading to adverse effects. Justina Groeger, M.D., has received a four-year, $783,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to test whether including a discharge opioid taper support (DOTS) intervention in electronic medical records can reduce excessive post-operative opioid prescribing to older adults who have undergone orthopedic surgery. The intervention will recommend a patient-specific opioid taper to providers and offer enhanced post-discharge telephone support to patients. Dr. Groeger will examine if the intervention works to reduce excessive opioid prescribing and improve patient outcomes. Dr. Groeger is an assistant professor of medicine at Einstein and geriatric medicine specialist at Montefiore. (K23DA055752)

• Reducing Opioid Use and HIV in Marginalized Groups
  People who inject drugs (PWID) face a high risk of overdose and HIV infection, yet many lack access to evidence-based opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments or HIV prevention measures. Innovative approaches are required to engage PWID, many of whom are from marginalized groups. Aaron Fox, M.D., M.S., has received a five-year, $924,000 mid-career investigator award in patient-oriented research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to conduct research and to mentor six early-stage clinical investigators about OUD, HIV, and marginalized populations. For his research, he will study an innovative internet-based mail delivery syringe services program as part of an effort to improve access to addiction treatment and HIV prevention services. Dr. Fox is associate professor of medicine at Einstein and an addiction medicine physician at Montefiore. (K24DA057873)

Two early-career faculty members will conduct research related to aging:

• Neighborhood Influence on Alzheimer’s Risk
  Research shows that where you live influences your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and that people in areas with low economic resources having the highest risk. Jinshil Hyun, Ph.D., has received a two-year, $266,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging to apply geospatial and GPS-based methods to identify neighborhood characteristics that affect cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Hyun’s goal is to use the findings to develop behavioral and population-level interventions to promote cognitive health, especially among vulnerable populations. Dr. Hyun is an instructor in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology. (K99AG080126)

• Examining the Role of the Hypothalamus in Aging
  Studies in animals have found that the hypothalamus, a part of the brain responsible for regulation of the endocrine system and metabolism, plays a role in aging, but little research has investigated that link in humans. Sandra Aleksic, M.D., M.S., has received a four-year, $1 million emerging leaders career development award from the National Institute on Aging to examine whether hypothalamic dysfunction accelerates aging in people. Using Einstein’s established LonGenity study cohort of adults over 65, she will assess participants’ hypothalamic function and MRI-derived structure in relation to the changes in their cognition and frailty over time. During the period of the training grant, she will also receive advanced training in neuroimaging, geriatrics, data analysis, and leadership to gain skills needed to advance her career in translational research. Dr. Aleksic is an assistant professor of medicine at Einstein and an endocrinologist at Montefiore. (K76AG083274)

A postdoctoral fellow is investigating a key cellular process:

• Solving a Mitochondria Mystery
  Mitochondria are called “the powerhouses of a cell” because they synthesize molecules of ATP, which provide energy for the body. The mitochondrial enzyme ATP synthase is crucially important: it catalyzes the final step in producing ATP, and mutations to ATP synthase cause numerous diseases. Recent studies show that ATP synthase is assembled via the coordinated expression of genes located in both the mitochondria and nucleus, but how this is done remains largely unknown. Weihan Li, Ph.D., has received a two-year, $250,000 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to uncover the mechanism by which cells spatially coordinate nuclear and mitochondrial gene expression to produce mitochondrial ATP synthase. His findings will provide insights into the basic biology of mitochondria and into mitochondrial diseases. Dr. Li is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Robert H. Singer, Ph.D. (K99GM148788)

An early-career faculty member will seek to improve outcomes in adolescents with lupus:

• Depression in Adolescents with Lupus
  Childhood-onset systemic lupus (cSLE) is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality, especially among adolescents and young adults. Many patients suffer from depression that may make it difficult for them to engage in critically needed medical care for cSLE. Tamar Rubinstein, M.D., M.S., has received a five-year, $870,000 grant from National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to test her theory that anhedonia (a core symptom of depression involving persistent sadness and decreased ability to experience pleasure) is associated with disengagement cSLE care. The researchers will pilot a mobile app intervention that facilitates engagement in cSLE care and provides psychological support to a vulnerable population of predominantly low-income, Black and Hispanic adolescents and young adults in the Bronx. Dr. Rubinstein is an assistant professor of pediatrics and of psychiatry and behavioral health at Einstein and a pediatric rheumatologist at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. (1K23AR080803)

An established kidney researcher received a grant to allow her more time to mentor trainees:

• Mentoring Kidney Researchers
  Michal Melamed, M.D., M.H.S., has received a five-year, $826,000 mid-career investigator award in biomedical and behavioral research. These awards support established, outstanding investigators by giving them protected time for research and mentoring. Dr. Melamed’s research focuses on kidney disease, where she has extensive experience mentoring clinician-researchers and is a principal investigator on two other training grants. With the grant’s support, she will devote more time to mentoring multiple trainees, including people from groups historically underrepresented in medicine, to help them move into academic careers in pediatric and adult clinical research in kidney health with the goal of improving health equity. Dr. Melamed is professor of medicine, of pediatrics, and of epidemiology & population health at Einstein, a clinical nephrologist at Montefiore, and co-director of research education and training & career development at the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Einstein and Montefiore. (K26DK138488)

In addition, earlier this year Einstein announced two other major NIH career development awards, known as K12s, given to senior scientists to mentor junior faculty:

• The Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Montefiore and Einstein received a five-year, $3.8 million Clinical and Translational Science Award to support a graduate education program and early career development, with a focus on health equity.
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center was awarded a $2.9 million NCI Calabresi Training Award. The grant will support cancer investigators to conduct clinical and translational research, with a focus on health equity.