ATS Foundation/Pulmonary Hypertension Association 2019 Partner Grant awardees

(Feb. 20, 2020) — The ATS Foundation Research Program/Pulmonary Hypertension Association has awarded Rahul Kumar, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, a $80,000 Foundation Partner grant. A $50,000 Foundation Partner grant was awarded to Jason Boehme, MD, also of the University of California, San Francisco. Ke Yuan, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital is the 2019 recipient of the Aldrighetti Research Award for Young Investigators. The award, in the amount of $80,000, is sponsored by Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc, through a partnership with the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

The ATS Foundation Partner Grant provides crucial support to talented investigators from around the world, launching careers dedicated to scientific discovery and better patient care.

For Dr. Kumar, the grant will help support his research project, “Crosstalk Between Bone Marrow Compartment and Inflamed Lungs in Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension.”

Dr. Boehme will use the grant award to help support his research project, “Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Metabolic Reprogramming in Congenital Heart Disease.”

For Dr. Yuan, the grant will help support her research project, “Pericytes as a Source of Smooth Muscle Cells in PAH: Role of HIF2a/CXCL12 Signaling.”

“The Pulmonary Hypertension Association is pleased to partner with the ATS Foundation to promote pulmonary hypertension research,” said Elizabeth Joseloff, PhD, vice president, Quality Care and Research at PHA. “Advancing innovative science and supporting the next generation of researchers align with our mission to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH.”

“Not only do these grants boost basic research to understand pulmonary hypertension, they also help develop young investigators’ careers – essential ingredients in building a better tomorrow,” said Dean Schraufnagel, MD, chair of the ATS Foundation and professor of medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago.

The application process for the next cycle of grant opportunities will open in Spring of 2020. Visit the ATS Foundation website to learn more.

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Since its inception, the ATS Foundation Research Program has awarded $19.3 million to 263 investigators, both in the U.S. and internationally. These researchers have gone on to receive $330 million in federal funding. That’s a return on investment of $17 per dollar awarded. You can learn more about our most recent awardees here.

About the Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) is the oldest and largest nonprofit patient association dedicated to the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community. PHA aims is to extend and improve the lives of those affected by PH by engaging patients and their families, caregivers, health care providers, and researchers worldwide to advocate, provide patient support, offer education, improve quality patient care, and fund and promote research. For more information, visit http://www.PHAssociation.org and connect with PHA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

PHA will hold its 2020 International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions, June 12-14, in Anaheim, California, where health care professionals, patients and caregivers will come together to hear about the latest advances in PH treatment and research and how to live well with PH.

Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world’s leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society’s more than 16,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The ATS publishes three journals, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology and the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

The ATS will hold its 2020 International Conference, May 15-20, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where world-renowned experts will share the latest scientific research and clinical advances in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.