Join us on May 19th for our 2026 Symposium!
Our program has proudly appointed 49 early-career faculty researchers from the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech Carilion. Our Scholars represent a wide range of disciplines from 19 departments across nine schools.
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
Division of Memory & Aging Care
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Carol Manning, PhD
Research Project: Characterization of millennial caregivers of persons with cognitive decline: Identifying intervention targets using a mixed-methods approach
Funding: UVA Department of Neurology, UVA Brain Institute, & UVA School of Medicine
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Imre Noth, MD
Research Project: Degree and timing of T cell co-stimulation determine protective immunity to M. tuberculosis infection
Funding: UVA Department of Medicine, Division of Pulm & Critical Care, & UVA Vice President for Research
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Emily McGowan, MD, PhD
Research Project: Deciphering the immunologic landscape of gastroparesis-associated pylorospasm: Insights from single-cell RNA sequencing and gastric per-oral endoscopic myotomy
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
Division of Surgical Oncology
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentors: Craig Slingluff Jr., MD & Allan Tsung, MD
Research Project: Exploring the role of adipokine signaling in melanoma: Deciphering the obesity paradox
Funding: UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering & Mechanics
VT School of Engineering
Primary Mentor: Raffaella De Vita, PhDÂ
Research Project: Development of strain-associated biomarkers for precision medicine in delayed fracture healing
Funding: VT Department of Biomedical Engineering & Mechanics
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Services
UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Primary Mentor: Catherine Bradshaw, PhD, MEd
Research Project: Leveraging data from mental health emergency department visits to inform an online, multi-part, mixed-reality training for school mental-health professionals
Funding: UVA Vice President for Research & UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Infect. Disease & Int'l. Health
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: William Petri, MD, PhD
Research Project: Acute and long-term implications of IL-13 in COVID-19 associated hypoxic respiratory failure
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Michael Shim, MD
Research Project: Biomolecular and clinical outcomes of FK-506 immunosuppression in lung transplantation
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Senior Instructor
Department of Health Systems & Implementation Science
VTC School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Kathy Hosig, PhD, MPH, RD
Research Project: Facilitators and barriers of integrating community health workers (CHWs) into maternal and infant care for rural populations in Southwest Virginia
Funding: VTC Department of Health Systems & Implementation Science
Assistant Professor
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Carilion Clinic
Primary Mentors: Samantha Harden, PhD & Jamie Zoellner, PhD
Research Project: Group-based exercise intervention for endometrial cancer survivors: Exploration of physical activity and quality of life impact
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: J. Randall Moorman, MD
Research Project: Machine learning to improve sepsis care
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Urology
Division of Urologic Oncology
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Tracey Krupski, MD
Research Project: Pre-habilitation and mindfulness program for patients undergoing radical cystectomy
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: James Nataro, MD, PhD, MBA
Research Project: Community-based approaches to improving pediatric mental health
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Services
UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Primary Mentor: Micah Mazurek, PhD
Research Project: Advancing the evidence-base for mindfulness-based interventions for treating behavioral health in adults with autism and intellectual disability
Funding: UVA Vice President for Research & UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Assistant Professor
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
VT Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Primary Mentor: Andrea Bertke, PhD
Research Project: Investigating functional changes in alpha6 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors following nerve injury
Funding: VT Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Cardiology Medicine
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Christopher Kramer, MD
Research Project: Novel therapy to treat microvascular disease in women
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Primary Mentor: Catherine Bollard, MD, MBChB
Research Project: The molecular basis of euchromatic dysregulation in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)
Funding: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, & Exercise
VT College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Primary Mentor: Martha Ann Bell, PhD
Research Project: Examining the clinical utility of dance to support social skills and behavioral and neural synchrony in individuals with autism spectrum disorder
Funding: VT Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, & Exercise
Assistant Professor
Acute & Specialty Care
UVA School of Nursing
Primary Mentor: Bethany Teachman, PhD
Research Project: Measurement and modification of threat interpretation bias to reduce anxiety in Huntington’s disease
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Acute & Specialty Care
UVA School of Nursing
Primary Mentor: Sarah Ratcliffe, PhD
Research Project: Comorbidity profiles and their influence on treatment and survival among underserved individuals with advanced lung cancer
Funding: UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Professor
Department of Small Animal Clinical SciencesÂ
VT VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine
Primary Mentor: Nicola Mason, BVetMed, PhD
Research Project: Nanopulse stimulation as an ablative immune modifier in spontaneous canine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Funding: VT Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Infect. Disease & Int’l. Health
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: William Petri, MD, PhD
Research Project: Immune profiling to stratify Clostridioides difficile infection outcomes
Funding: K23AI163368
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Services
UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Primary Mentor: Silvia Blemker, PhD
Research Project: Improving speech outcomes for cleft and craniofacial conditions through applications of machine learning algorithms and patient-specific pre-operative assessment
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
UVA College of Arts & Sciences
Primary Mentor: Jessica Connelly, PhD
Research Project: Vision deficits of non-retinal origin in preterm infants: Circuit mechanisms and noninvasive approach for prevention and treatment
Funding: UVA Vice President for Research & UVA College of Arts and Sciences
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Kevin Pelphrey, PhD
Research Project: Is autism-plus-epilepsy an autism subtype with a focal neurobiological basis?
Funding: U24NS107182Â
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Primary Mentors: Warren Bickel, PhD & Matthew Hulver, PhD
Research Project: Neural and metabolic correlates of carbohydrate reward
Funding: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Assistant Professor
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Primary Mentor: Catherine Limperopoulos, PhD
Research Project: A pilot study of the role of gut dysbiosis in the neurodevelopmental consequences of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)
Funding: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentors: Karen Fairchild, MD & Doug Lake, PhD
Research Project: Neurodevelopmental infant cardiorespiratory evaluation (NICE)
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
UVA College of Arts & Sciences
Primary Mentor: Carol Manning, PhD
Research Project: Mnemonic brain states and selective memory deficits in healthy aging
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Zhenqi Liu, MD
Research Project: Effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonism on microvascular perfusion, cardiorespiratory fitness, and glycemic variability in type 1 diabetes
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Frailin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Primary Mentor: Warren Bickel, PhD
Research Project: Deciphering the role of leptin receptor neural circuits in mediating early life trauma-induced binge eating behavior
Funding: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Health Sciences
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Lee Ritterband, PhD
Research Project: Establishing the effectiveness of publicly available smoking cessation resources: Does rurality matter?
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Helmy M. Siragy, MD
Research Project: The (pro)renin receptor promotes renal injury in the aging kidney through increased cellular senesence
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Center for Advanced Study of Teaching & Learning
UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Primary Mentor: Kevin Pelphrey, PhD
Research Project: Parent-child brain synchrony in autism spectrum disorders
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Eugene Barrett, MD, PhD
Research Project: Examining the effect of glycemic excursions on cardiac function and myocardial perfusion in type 1 diabetes
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery (Pediatric)
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Sean Moore, MD, MS
Research Project: Role of enteric neuronal glucagon-like peptide-2 receptor agonist augmentation of tissue engineered intestine for the treatment of short bowel syndrome
Funding: KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Youth-Nex
UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Primary Mentor: Catherine Bradshaw, PhD, MEd
Research Project: Development of decision and implementation supports for a rural school-based prevention program
Funding: UVA Vice President for Research & UVA School of Ed & Human Development
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Lee Ritterband, PhD
Research Project: Improving the understanding of depression among cancer caregivers using ecological momentary assessment
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Coleen McNamara, MD
Research Project: The role of B-1 cells and natural IgM in lung inflammation and fibrosis
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology (Pediatric)
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Karen Johnston, MD, MSc
Research Project: Application of a ketogenic diet in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Emergency Medicine
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Mark Sochor, MD, MS
Research Project: Predicting injury risk after motor vehicle collisions using occupant and vehicle telemetry data
Funding: UVA School of Medicine & KL2TR003016
Assistant Professor
Acute & Specialty Care
UVA School of Nursing
Primary Mentor: Lee Ritterband, PhD
Research Project: Use of an internet-based intervention to prevent cognitive decline in older adults with mild
cognitive impairment
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Sean Moore, MD, MS
Research Project: Computational modeling of intestinal mucosa: Image analysis and multiomics
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurology
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Jaideep Kapur, MBBS, PhD
Research Project: Prediction cardiopulmonary events during seizures
Funding: U24NS107182
Assistant Professor
Acute & Specialty Care
UVA School of Nursing
Primary Mentor: J. Randall Moorman, MD
Research Project: A pragmatic clinical trial evaluating impact of continuous predictive monitoring on nurse-driven
outcomes in a dynamic intensive care setting
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical EngineeringÂ
UVA School of Engineering & Applied Science
Primary Mentor: Brad Worrall, MD, MSc
Research Project: Bioengineered hydrogels to facilitate 3D neural stem cell survival and growth in a stroke environment
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Infect. Disease & Int’l. Health
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Rebecca Dillingham, MD, MPH
Research Project: Affordable Care Act's effects on persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Virginia
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: J. Randall Moorman, MD
Research Project: Pulse oximetry cardiorespiratory scores to predict adverse events and outcomes in premature infants
Funding: UVA School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Surgery
UVA School of Medicine
Primary Mentor: Sasha Krupnick, MD
Research Project: The role of CD8+ T cell-mediated tolerance in non-small cell lung cancer
Funding: UVA School of Medicine