Welcome Georgia CTSA 2025-2026 KL2 Scholars

Congratulations to the new scholars in the Georgia CTSA KL2 Scholars Program. The goal of the Georgia CTSA KL2 Program is to support and enhance career development for junior faculty interested in a career that encompasses clinical and translational science, and clinical and translational research. The KL2 Program supports career development for junior faculty from a wide variety of disciplines at the Georgia CTSA partner institutions to become independent, established, and ethical clinical and translational science investigators.

Paul Beach, DO, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Emory University School of Medicine and directs the department’s Clinical Autonomic Neurophysiology Laboratory. He holds a DO and PhD from Michigan State University and completed fellowships in Movement Disorders (Emory University) and Clinical Neurophysiology –Autonomic Disorders (Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center). Dr. Beach is a neurologist-neuroscientist specializing in movement and autonomic disorders and his research interests include 1) the neural signaling and processing of internal events (interoception) and 2) translational studies examining the effects of autonomic failure (orthostatic hypotension, supine hypertension) on cognition, emotion, and motor control. With the support of the KL2 program, Dr. Beach aims to gain technical and professional training to advance toward an independent clinical and translational research career at the intersection of movement and autonomic neurology.

Mark Garren, PhD, is a clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical, Materials & biomedical Engineering within the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Georgia. Applying expertise in polymer chemistry, surface modification, and combinatorial design, Dr. Garren’s research includes advanced biomaterials development methods, drug delivery, and hematology, focusing on translational research in health technologies for cardiovascular spaces. The goal of his KL2 research project is to develop next-generation biomaterials design strategies for the controlled release of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at blood-contacting interfaces to address issues of device-related failure from surface-induced inflammation, contact activation, and thrombosis. Dr. Garren’s long-term goal is to further develop skills in state-of-the-art drug delivery methods with an emphasis on applying his background in polymer science and engineering to translational clinical applications.

Yang Ge, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia. He holds a PhD from the University of Georgia and is a data scientist specializing in infectious disease epidemiology, including disease transmission, intervention effectiveness, and virus kinetics. Dr. Ge’s KL2 research project will investigate tailored vaccination strategies to enhance influenza vaccine effectiveness for people living with HIV. His goal is to translate complex health data into meaningful insights that advance patient care, strengthen public health policies, and promote better health outcomes. Ultimately Dr. Ge’s long-term professional goal is to pursue a career in clinical and translational research, establishing himself as an independent investigator in the field of infectious disease epidemiology, with a focus on influenza infection among high-risk individuals.

Natalia Smirnova, MD, MSCR, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine with a secondary appointment in the Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine. She also directs an advanced COPD clinic at Emory that integrates primary palliative care into routine pulmonary management. Her clinical and research interests center on improving quality of life and reducing suffering for patients with serious pulmonary illnesses, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis. Her KL2 research project will include a mixed-methods study exploring palliative and hospice decision-making in COPD and identifying opportunities to intervene earlier in the illness course. Dr. Smirnova aims to become an independent health services researcher who designs interventions to improve patient, caregiver, and healthcare system outcomes in serious pulmonary illness through the equitable delivery of palliative care.

Christopher Villongco, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Morehouse School of Medicine. He holds an MD from Morehouse School of Medicine, and his clinical and research interests center on the treatment of substance abuse. Dr. Villongco’s KL2 project aims to systematically identify substance use treatment rates and the moderation effects of self-reported religious importance and English proficiency using restricted data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). With the support of the KL2 program, his future research will inform the development of more personalized substance use interventions for individuals of different sociodemographic factors. Dr. Villongco’s goal for his KL2 program is to gain the skills, mentorship, and experiences to become an independent researcher with a focus on culturally sensitive and community-based methodologies to understand and address substance use and treatment.