MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 8:30 AM REGISTRATION AND POSTER SETUP 9:00 AM WELCOMING

241 Pages·2017·8.94 MB·English

2016 NIBIB TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING
MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016
8:30 AM REGISTRATION AND POSTER SETUP
WELCOMING REMARKS - Main Auditorium
9:00 AM
Christine Kelley, PhD, Acting Director, Extramural Science Programs, NIBIB
MEETING INTRODUCTION - Main Auditorium
9:15 AM
Richard Baird, PhD, NIBIB
9:30 AM PLENARY SPEAKER - Main Auditorium
Hannah Valantine, MD -Senior Investigator, NHLBI Laboratory of
Transplantation Genomics and Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, NIH
"Precision Medicine in Action: Applying Genomic Tools to Improve Transplant Health Outcomes"
10:30 AM BREAK and poster viewing
Profesional Development for PIs in Training - Main
Auditorium

10:45 AM Nicole Steinmetz, PhD, Case Western Reserve University
IDPs, time management, fellowship and manuscript writing
Omid Farokhzad, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Clinician's Perspective
12:15 PM LUNCH - (Pre-order your lunch at tgm.nibib.nih.gov/logistics)
1:15 PM POSTER SESSION
Career Options Outside Academia- Main Auditorium

Alexander Adam, PhD, Associate, Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds Intellectual Property Law Firm
Walt Baxter, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist, Medtronic, Inc.
2:15 PM Colin Brenan, PhD, Founder, Chief Commercial Officer, HiFiBiO SAS; Editor-in-Chief IEEE Pulse
Magazine
Tiffani Lash, PhD, Program Director, NIBIB
Christopher J. Medberry, PhD, Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist, DePuy Synthes Companies of
Johnson and Johnson
3:45 PM BREAK and poster viewing - Atrium and lobby
NIBIB SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM PRESENTATIONS - Main Auditorium
4:00 PM
NIBIB Program Officials Present their programs
NETWORKING SESSION - Main Auditorium, lobby
5:30 PM Meet and network with predoctoral trainees, postdoctoral fellows, Training Program Directors, other
grantees, speakers and NIH staff.
6:00 PM
Shuttles to hotel
6:30 PM
TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016
8:00 AM REGISTRATION AND POSTER VIEWING
8:30 AM PLENARY SPEAKER – Main Auditorium
Bruce Rosen, MD, PhD, Professor in Radiology, Harvard Medical School; Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for
Biomedical Imaging
"Lessons Learned"
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Trainees’ Session - Main Auditorium:
Training Program Directors’ Session - Room D:
9:30 AM Rosemarie Hunziker, PhD, NIBIB
NIBIB funding; NIH/NIBIB program and policy
"Understanding NIH"
changes
10:30 AM BREAK and poster viewing BREAK and poster viewing
Michael Summers, PhD, Professor and HHMI Investigator,
Training Program Directors’ session
10:45 AM University of Maryland, Baltimore County
… continued
"Grant-writing from the PI's Point of view"
Working Lunch: Entrepreneurship Panel
Todd Merchak, Program Specialist, NIBIB
Todd Landsman, Engineering Manager, Shape Memory
11:45 AM Therapeutics, Inc.
Michael K. Dempsey, Entrepreneur in Residence,
Accelerator Program Leader, CIMIT, Harvard University
(Pre-order your lunch at tgm.nibib.nih.gov/logistics)
Grant Writing/Review Break-out Session - Rooms A; C1/C2;
E1/E2; G1/G2, H, J: Small group discussions of grant
1:00 PM Adjourn
applications withTraining Program Directors, other grantees,
and NIH staff.
NETWORKING SESSION - Rooms A, E1/E2; G1/G2:
Meet and network with predoctoral trainees, postdoctoral
2:00 PM
fellows, Training Program Directors, other grantees, and NIH
staff.
2:50 PM Take down posters and adjourn
Post-meeting Tours (Select one):
3:00 PM NIBIB Intramural Laboratories
NIH Clinical Center
4:30 PM Shuttle to hotel
2016 Training Granteees Meeting
Training Program Directer’s Session - Natcher Room D
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
9:30-10:15 AM Richard Baird (NIBIB) – NIH Working Groups, Policies, Programs, and Outcomes
10:15-10:30 AM Coffee Break
10:30 -10:50 AM Hannah Valantine (NIH OD) – Diversity recruitment and retention
10:50–11:10 AM Tobin Sosnick (UChicago) – UChicago BEST program
11:10-11:30 AM Monga Satdarshan (UPittsburgh) – Clinical internships
11:30- 11:50 AM Mike Regnier (UWashington ) – Industrial internships
11:50-12:10 PM Julie Champion (Georgia Tech) – Leadership and professional development
12:10 – 12:30 PM Randy Gollub (MGH) – Non-academic Metrics and Careers
12:30 – 12:50 PM Joachim Kohn (Rutgers) – Multi-institutional Training aining
*Hannah Valantine’s talk may have to be shifted to accommodate her late arrival
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Alexander Adam, PhD, JD Walt Baxter, PhD
Alexander Adam is an Dr. Baxter serves as
intellectual property a Senior Principal
attorney at Hamilton Scientist within
Brook Smith & Medtronic’s
Reynolds P.C. in Neuromodulation
Boston. Dr. Adam Division primarily
specializes in drafting within the Therapy
and prosecuting Delivery business,
patent applications in helping to develop
the fields of novel stimulation
computer systems, leads for
electronics, imaging positioning
software, control electrodes within
systems, mechanical the nervous
devices, medical system. Dr. Baxter
devices, has patented key
telecommunications, ideas and published seminal works detailing the mechanical
and clean energy. He also has experience in patent conditions implanted medical devices are exposed to
litigation, due diligence, and providing invalidity and non- during their implant lifetimes. Prior to joining Medtronic,
infringement opinions. Alex advises clients on U.S. and Dr. Baxter studied Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia
international patent strategy. Dr. Adam’s work on patent Institute of Technology and later trained within the Cardiac
applications includes laboratory devices for the Mechanics Research Group at the University of California,
pharmaceutical industry, 3-D modeling for surgical San Diego where he developed, implemented, and
planning, computer-controlled prosthetic devices, speech validated novel algorithms for elucidating the mechanics of
recognition technology, needle-free injection devices, fuel implanted medical devices. In addition to his work at
cell technology, and medical implants. Medtronic, Dr. Baxter chairs the advisory board for the
Dr. Adam received his B.S. in 1992, M.S in 1995 Georgia Institute of Technology’s Department of
and Ph.D. in 2003 all in Biomedical Engineering from Biomedical Engineering and serves on the industrial
Boston University. From 2003 to 2006, he held the position advisory boards at UC Riverside’s Department of
of Research Assistant Professor at the Neuromuscular Bioengineering, UC Irvine’s Department of Bioengineering,
Research Center at Boston University. Dr. Adam received a and UC San Diego’s Whitaker Institute of Biomedical
J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 2009. Engineering where he impacts and fosters meaningful
Dr. Adam is a member of the American Bar academic-industrial collaboration through his board work.
Association, American Intellectual Property Law Dr. Baxter guest lectures in Mechanical and Biomedical
Association, Boston Patent Law Association, IEEE Engineering courses at the University of California, Irvine,
Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, and German University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern
American Business Council of Boston. California, and San Diego State University. He mentors
engineering students at North Carolina State University
through a joint Neuroinnovations design program with
Duke University. Dr. Baxter also speaks to student groups
on University campuses about careers in the medical
device industry where he seeks to attract talented students
to the industry. He is an elected Fellow of the American
Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering where he
works to further awareness of how Medical and Biological
Engineering impacts the lives of people around the world.

TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Colin Brenan, PhD Michael Dempsey, BSEE
Colin J.H. Brenan is a serial Mike is an Entrepreneur in
life sciences entrepreneur Residence at CIMIT. His
and senior executive with 30 primary responsibility is to
years of experience in lead the CIMIT Accelerator
scientific research, project Program which is focused
management, product on finding, funding and
development, strategic facilitating innovations
marketing and financing of that are to be handed off
early-stage life science to industry within twelve
companies. Dr. Brenan is to eighteen months. Mike
currently a Founder and and his team work closely
Chief Commercial Officer for with the project teams to
HiFiBiO BV. Formerly he was not only advance the technology, but also to develop and
Managing Director of the execute a complete strategy for getting the innovation into
Monsanto-Atlas Seed Fund practice.
Alliance at Atlas Venture where he identified and invested Mike has been working in the field of medical
in seed and early-stage life science companies. Prior to devices for more than 25 years; during this time, he has
Atlas, Dr. Brenan was Director of Strategic Relationships for invented or worked on products that have treated over
the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative twenty million people. He was a co-founding of Radianse, a
Technology where he implemented CIMIT’s innovation venture-backed company that develops indoor positioning
strategy with external partners, raised $6M in funding and systems for hospitals. Prior to founding Radianse, Mike
launched a start-up (Organ Solutions) from the CIMIT worked as a technical strategist for wireless solutions at
Accelerator. Hewlett-Packard/Agilent Technologies (now Philips Medical
Previous to joining CIMIT, Dr. Brenan was Systems). He has helped to develop and introduce dozens
the Founder, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice of successful products, holds over 40 patents in wireless
President, Business Development for BioTrove Inc. medical device communications and has ten more patents
(Woburn, USA), a life science tools and consumables pending. Mike received a special citation from the
company spun-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Commissioner of the FDA for "exceptional initiative and
Technology (MIT) and acquired by Life Technologies Inc. ; leadership to protect the public health." He has a BSEE
At Biotrove, he was responsible for development of the from The University of Michigan.
OpenArrayTM and RapidFireTM products, expansion of the
intellectual property portfolio from one patent application
to 76 issued and pending patents, $8M in strategic sales
and was the lead or co-lead in raising $30M of investment
capital from corporate and venture capital partners.
BioTrove is a MIT TLO Success Story, winner of the 2009
North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Growth Strategy
Leadership of the Year and the acquisition of BioTrove by
Life Technologies was voted one of the top ten M&A
transactions of 2009 by PriceWaterhouseCooper.
Dr. Brenan is the inventor on 17 US and 18
foreign patents, and published +50 peer-reviewed journal
articles, book chapters and reports in the fields of bio-
microsystems, confocal microscopy, spectroscopic imaging
and microsurgical robotics. He has over a decade of
experience in consulting for the US National Institutes of
Health and is a reviewer for IEEE, IEE, and AIP journals. Dr.
Brenan is a Senior Member of the IEEE-EMBS, the Founder
and former Chair of the EMBS Boston Chapter (2002-2007),
the EMBS Region 1 Representative (2002-2005), the EMBC
2011 co-Chair and is Editor-in-Chief of IEEE PULSE
Magazine (2013-present). He received his B.Sc. (Honors
Physics), M. Eng. (Electrical), and Ph.D. (Biomedical
Engineering) from McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
and completed post-doctoral training at MIT (Cambridge,
USA).
TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Omid Farokhzad, MD Rosemarie Hunziker, PhD
Omid Farokhzad is an Rosemarie Hunziker,
Associate Professor at Ph.D. is the Director of
Harvard Medical School Tissue Engineering and
(HMS) and a physician- Regenerative Medicine at
scientist in the Department the National Institute of
of Anesthesiology at Biomedical Imaging and
Brigham and Women’s Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Hospital (BWH) where he within the National
directs the Laboratory of Institutes of Health (NIH)
Nanomedicine and in the US Department of
Biomaterials. He is a faculty Health and Human
member of the Brigham Services (DHHS). Dr.
Research Institute Cancer Hunziker brings a diverse
Research Center and a member of the Dana background to this broad sphere of research. After
Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Programs in Prostate Cancer receiving a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the
and Cancer Cell Biology. Dr. Farokhzad’s research is focused Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (now the
on the development of therapeutic nanoparticle University of the Sciences in Philadelphia), she set off to
technologies; most notably, he pioneered the high study the complex antigenic profile of bovine lymphocytes
throughput combinatorial development and screening of and earn a Master of Science in Immunogenetics from Ohio
multifunctional nanoparticles for medical applications. Dr. State University. Her Ph.D. work with Tom Wegmann at the
Farokhzad has authored approximately 130 papers and University of Alberta involved analysis of the cell surface
holds more than 140 issued/pending US and International immunogens at the maternal-fetal interface. Post-doctoral
patents. The technologies that Dr. Farokhzad has training at the Laboratory of Immunology, National
developed with collaborators at HMS and MIT formed the Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID/NIH)
basis for the launch of four biotechnology companies: BIND focused on the generation of transgenic mouse models of
Therapeutics, Selecta Biosciences, Tarveda Therapeutics histocompatibility antigen variants to study mechanisms of
(formerly Blend Therapeutics), and Koan Biotherapeutics, immune recognition and tolerance. Rosemarie set up the
which are translating the aforementioned academic NIAID's Transgenic Mouse Facility at the FCRDC in Fort
innovations toward commercialization and societal impact. Dietrick, MD to supply intramural scientists with mouse
Dr. Farokhzad has served in various capacities on the Board lines engineered to express their protein of choice. After
of Directors and the Scientific Advisory Board of these organizing and running that effort for seven years, she left
companies. NIH to join the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) at the
Dr. Farokhzad has received multiple awards National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST,
including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year in Department of Commerce). ATP awarded grants to for-
2012, the RUSNANOPRIZE in 2013, the Golden Door Award profit companies for high-risk R&D. There she was a
from the International institute of New England in 2014, Program Manager in the Chemistry and Life Science Office,
and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2016 for his scientific, with responsibilities to monitor and advance the life
societal and economic contributions to America as an science portfolio, with particular emphasis on Tissue
immigrant. In 2015, he was named as one of The Engineering.
Worldview 100 by Scientific American, which recognized After a brief stint in private consulting advising
visionaries who shape biotechnology around the world. Dr. biotechnology companies on strategic use of federal
Farokhzad was elected to the College of the Fellows of the research grants to advance their business goals, Rosemarie
American Institute of Medical and biological Engineering. returned to NIH in 2004 to help accelerate technology
He was selected by Thomson Reuters among the Highly transfer at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial
Cited Researchers in 2014 and 2015. The Boston Globe Research (NIDCR) and oversee the Dental Biomaterials
selected him among the top innovators in Massachusetts portfolio. In January, 2007 she moved to her current
and the Boston Business Journal selected him among the position at the NIBIB. She is committed to nurturing
Health Care Champions for his innovations. discovery science and realizing the practical benefits of the
Dr. Farokhzad completed his post-graduate exciting developments at the forefront of cell-based tools
clinical and post-doctoral research trainings, respectively, and therapies.
at the BWH/HMS and MIT in the laboratory of Institute
Professor Robert Langer. He received his M.D. and M.A.
from Boston University School of Medicine and his M.B.A.
from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Todd Landsman, PhD Tiffani Lash, PhD
Todd Landsman is Dr. Tiffani Bailey
the Engineering Lash serves as a
Manager at DEP Program
Shape Memory Director/Health
Therapeutics, Inc. Scientist
(SMT), which was Administrator at the
founded to create National Institutes
medical devices and of Health. She
technology based manages the
on novel research portfolios
polyurethane shape for the Biosensors,
memory polymers Platform
(SMPs) that were Technologies, and
created in a joint effort between Texas A&M University mHealth programs
(TAMU) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. As at the National
the Engineering Manager at SMT, he has led the design and Institute of
development of a peripheral embolization device (PED) for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). Dr. Lash is
the past two years. While working with SMT for the past also the Program Director for the NIBIB Point of Care
two years, Dr. Landsman was also a graduate student at Technologies Research Network, consisting of three
TAMU pursuing his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering as a centers charged with developing point-of-care diagnostic
member of the Biomedical Device Laboratory. During his technologies through collaborative efforts that merge
dissertation, he designed the PED technology and has scientific and technological capabilities with clinical need.
become an expert on the functionality, testing procedures, Prior to her current position, Dr. Lash worked
design, and material characteristics of the device. Dr. within the NIH’s science policy administration. During that
Landsman received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and time, she worked at the National Institute of General
his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Cal Poly State Medical Sciences and National Heart Lung and Blood
University. Institute, as well as the NIH Office of the Director. Dr. Lash
has been selected as a science policy fellow for both the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS) and the National Academy of Engineering. She also
has a background in small business innovation and
intellectual property. Dr. Lash earned her Ph.D. in Physical
Chemistry from North Carolina State University via a
collaboration between the Departments of Chemistry and
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Her
interdisciplinary research interests include microfluidics,
biopolymers with controlled molecular architecture, and
biosensor technologies.

TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Christopher J. Medberry, PhD Todd Merchak, BS
Dr. Christopher J. Todd Merchak is a
Medberry is Program Specialist in the
Senior Regulatory Office of Program
Affairs Specialist Evaluation and Strategic
at the DePuy Partnerships at the
Synthes National Institute of
Companies of Biomedical Imaging and
Johnson and Bioengineering (NIBIB).
Johnson currently He has been managing the
supporting NIBIB Small Business
Biomaterials and (SBIR/STTR) programs for
Front End the past 12 years and
Innovation. He helps lead the Institute’s
completed his strategic partnership activities. He also serves as a liaison
Ph.D. in for health disparities research, as well as a Science Officer
Bioengineering at for the Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network. Mr.
the McGowan Merchak received his B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering
Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of from Yale University.
Pittsburgh. His research focused on the development and
application of novel biomaterials, including hydrogels and
scaffolds derived from nervous tissue extracellular matrix,
and multiple preclinical models of traumatic central
nervous tissue injury to investigate the mechanisms of
biomaterial mediated tissue repair. His postdoctoral
research explored therapeutic approaches that modulate

the default healing response to prevent scarring and
preserve or restore vision following injury and disease.

Beyond the laboratory, Dr. Medberry worked as a
Postdoctoral Fellow with the Coulter Translational Research

Partners II Program at the University of Pittsburgh where
he provided technical expertise and aided in the

development of regulatory documents and in industry
where he worked on medical device research, design, and

development. He most recently completed the AIMBE
Scholars Program, which is a Policy Fellowship Program at
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As an AIMBE
Scholar, Dr. Medberry utilized his technical background to
influence decisions and help create policy within the Office
of the Center Director, Center for Devices and Radiological
Health. His long-term goal is to utilize his regulatory and
policy background to foster innovative strategies for
medical device development that improve patient care,
and clinical outcomes.

TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Bruce Rosen, MD, PhD Nicole Steinmetz, PhD
Dr. Rosen is a Dr. Steinmetz is an
Professor of Associate Professor
Radiology at of Biomedical
Harvard Engineering at Case
Medical School, Western Reserve
Laurence University School of
Lamson Robbins Medicine, Cleveland,
Professor of OH, where she leads
Radiology at a research laboratory
Harvard interfacing bio-
Medical School inspired, molecular
and Professor of engineering
Health Sciences approaches with
and Technology medical research and
at the Harvard technology
Medical School- development. Dr. Steinmetz trained at The Scripps
Massachusetts Research Institute, La Jolla, CA where she was a NIH
Institute of K99/R00 awardee and AHA post-doctoral fellow (2007-
Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He 2010); she obtained her PhD in Bionanotechnology from
is Director of the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for the University of East Anglia where she prepared her
Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, dissertation as a Marie Curie Early Stage Training Fellow at
MIT, and the Harvard Medical School. He received his PhD the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK (2004-2007). Her early
in medical physics from MIT and his MD from the training was at the RWTH-Aachen University in Germany,
Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, and is board where she obtained her Diploma (Masters) in Molecular
certified in radiology. Dr. Rosen’s research over the past Biotechnology (2001-2004) after completing her pre-
thirty years has focused on the development and Diploma from the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
application of physiological and functional NMR (1998-2001). Dr. Steinmetz serves on the Editorial Board of
techniques. His studies allow researchers to better Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews (WIREs) on Nanomedicine
interpret fMRI signal changes and develop new ways to and Nanobiotechnology; and on the Advisory Editorial
probe brain function; for instance, through "event related" Board for the ACS journal Molecular Pharmaceutics. Dr.
fMRI studies. Dr. Rosen leads the activities of several large Steinmetz has chaired symposia at American Chemical
interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research and Society, Materials Research Society, and Foundations of
training programs that focus on the development of novel Nanosciences; and she served as Chair of the Gordon
biomedical imaging technologies and their application to Conference of Physical Virology (2015). Dr.Steinmetz has
diverse programs of basic and clinical research including authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles,
the NIH/NCRR Regional Resource Center, the Center for reviews, book chapters, and patents; she has authored and
Functional Neuroimaging Technologies (CFNT), the edited books on Virus-based nanotechnology. Research in
Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN), and the Steinmetz Lab is funded through grants from federal
others. A Gold Medal winner and Fellow of the agencies, including National Institute of Health, National
International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Science Foundation, and Department of Energy, as well as
Dr. Rosen is author or coauthor of more than 250 peer- private foundations, including Susan G. Komen Foundation,
reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews. He has American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association.
mentored dozens of graduate students and research
fellows through the years.

TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016
2016 TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING SPEAKER BIOS
Michael Summers, PhD Hannah Valantine, MD
Dr. Summers is a Hannah Valantine is
member of the the first NIH Chief
National Academy Officer for Scientific
of Sciences, an Workforce Diversity,
Investigator with and a Senior
the Howard Hughes Investigator in the
Medical Institute, Intramural Research
the Robert E. Program at the
Meyerhoff Chair for National Heart, Lung,
Excellence in and Blood Institute.
Research and Prior to starting this
Mentoring and a position in April 2014,
University Dr. Valantine was
Distinguished Professor of
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University Cardiovascular
of Maryland Baltimore County. He is also co-Director of an Medicine and the
IMSD-MBRS grant entitled “Expanding Participation by Senior Associate
Minorities in the Biomedical Sciences, an initiative to Dean for Diversity
promote cultural diversity in the biomedical sciences at the and Leadership at Stanford, a leadership position she held
graduate level. Dr. Summers received his PhD in since November 2004. She is nationally recognized for her
bioinorganic chemistry from Emory University. His transformative approaches to diversity and is a recipient of
research over the past thirty years has focused on the NIH Director’s Pathfinder Award for Diversity in the
understanding how viruses assemble, mature and Scientific Workforce. She is currently leading NIH efforts to
selectively package their RNA genomes. Combination drug promote diversity through innovation across the NIH-
therapies can keep the virus at bay for extended periods, funded biomedical workforce through a range of evidence-
even a normal lifespan, but current therapeutic regimes are based approaches. Dr. Valantine maintains an active clinical
expensive, compliance can be difficult, and strains that are research program that continues to have high impact on
resistant to combination drug therapies have patient care. Current research extends her previous finding
emerged. Thus, there are needs to develop new that an organ transplant is essentially a genome transplant,
therapeutic approaches that target different viral and that monitoring the level of donor DNA in a recipient’s
components. His lab is using nuclear magnetic resonance blood as a marker of organ damage will detect early stages
(NMR) to study the structures and functions of the viral of rejection. She is currently overseeing a multi-site
proteins and RNA genome of HIV-1. Their studies are consortium of mid-Atlantic transplant centers to validate
yielding information on how the highly conserved viral 5´- these findings clinically toward the development of a non-
UTR temporally regulates transcription, splicing, invasive tool for detecting early signs of organ rejection
translation, packaging, reverse transcription, and other
essential RNA-dependent activities during the viral
replication cycle.

TRAINING GRANTEES MEETING, BETHESDA, MARYLAND, JULY 11TH & 12TH, 2016