Pilot Grant Recipients - Round #148 Georgia CTSA (7/2026)

13 awards funded

  • Personalized Neuromodulation for Epilepsy: Leveraging Explainable AI and Evoked Potentials to Optimize Target Engagement ($50,000)

    • PI: Sankaraleengam Alagapan, MS, PhD, Research Scientist II, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech

    • Co-I: Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neurology, Emory University

  • Linoleic Acid-Derived Oxylipins and Metabolic Health in Middle-Age: Precision Nutrition Approaches ($40,000)

    • PI: Jessica Alvarez, PhD, RD, Assoc. Professor, Dept. Medicine/Endocrinology, Emory University

    • Co-PI: Thomas Ziegler, MD, Professor, Dept. Medicine/Endocrinology, Emory University

    • Dean P. Jones, PhD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Kirk A. Easley, MStat, MS, Research Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University

  •  Evaluating Project HEAL: Homeless Empowerment through Accessible Living ($40,000)

    • PI: Sarah Cross, PhD, MSW, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University

    • Matthew Lyons, PhD, MSW, MTS, Assistant Professor of Integrated Health Sciences, Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, Kennesaw State University

    • Puneet Chehal, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University

  • Assessing and Identifying Barriers of Care for Rural Georgians with Heart Failure with a Reduced Ejection Fraction ($40,000)

    • PI: Neal Dickert, MD, PhD, Thomas R. Williams Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Jonathan Murrow, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of Georgia, Augusta University

    • Scott Gillet, MD, MBA, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Jessica Harding, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Chengcheng Hu, MPH, Division of Transplantation, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Health Services Research Center

  • Development and validation of a pneumatic MRI-compatible leg press system for use during brain functional magnetic resonance imaging ($40,000)

    • PI: Jed Diekfuss, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Taylor M. Zuleger, PhD, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Andrew C. Hagen, PhD, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine

  • Red-Cell HbF Distribution and EV microRNAs for Risk Stratification in Sickle Cell Disease ($50,000)

    • PI: Adel Driss, PhD, Assistant Professor, Physiology Department, Morehouse School of Medicine

    • Co-PI: Vivien Sheehan, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Ashwin Patel, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

  • Turning Policy into Health: Translating Insurance Affordability Subsidies into Better Healthcare Access ($40,000)

    • PI: Ishtiaque Fazlul, PhD, Assistant Professor, Health Policy and Management, University of Georgia

    • Co-I: Suhang Song, PhD, Assistant Professor, Health Policy and Management, University of Georgia

  • Vitamin D Status in Early Pregnancy, Endothelial Function and Biomarkers of Preeclampsia among Women Medically Classified as Overweight or Obese ($40,000)

    • PI: Sina Gallo, PhD, MSc, RD, Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences, University of Georgia

    • Co-PI: Tony Wolf, PhD, MA, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, University of Georgia

    • Nandita Perumal, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of South Carolina

    • Lara Hart, MD, FACOG, Assistant Professor at the AU/UGA Medical Partnership & Obstetrician-Gynecologist at Women’s Healthcare Associates

    • Dulce Minaya, PhD, MS, Lab Manager & Research Professional, Nutritional Sciences, University of Georgia

  • EHR-Integrated Platform for CGM-Guided Inpatient Diabetes Care ($40,000)

    • PI: Michael Hughes, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

    • Francisco J. Pasquel, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Emory University

    • Jenna Fealey, BS, Doctoral Candidate, Emory University

    • Georgia Davis, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Emory University

  •  Modernizing Graves Orbitopathy Screening: Smartphone-Based Depth Imaging as an Alternative to Traditional Exophthalmometry ($40,000)

    • PI: Thaer Idrees, MD, Assistant Professor of Endocrinology, Medicine, Emory University

    • Co-I: Diane Wang, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University

    • Santiago Arconada Alvarez, MS, Associate Director of Apps, Digital Platforms and Technology Development, AppHatchery Co-Director, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University

  • Autonomic Reactivity to Interpersonal Stress and Its Role in Treatment Response in Borderline Personality Disorder ($40,000)

    • PI: Seyma Katrinli, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University

    • Vasiliki Michopoulos, PhD, Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine

  •  Peptidomimetic Targeting of Claudin-5+ Extracellular Vesicles to Attenuate Retinal Inflammation ($40,000)
    • PI: Somanath P.R. Shenoy, PhD, FAHA, Kenneth L. Waters Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia
    • Priya Narayanan, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia
    • Duo Zhang, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia
    • Mohamed Selim, B Pharm, Graduate Teaching Assistant (PhD Scholar), Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Graduate Program, University of Georgia
  •  Rapid Functional Detection of Dexamethasone Resistance in Pediatric T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Using Label-Free Biomechanical Sorting ($50,000)
    • PI: Todd Sulchek, PhD, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech
    • Co-PI: Sunil Raikar, MD, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Emory University
    • Mehdia Nadeem Rajab Ali, MBBS, MS, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University