Research
Research Awards
To support investigators secure career development (K) and research (R) awards and transition into independent researchers. Applicants must have prior approval from their division chief. Preference will be given to candidates with a track record of actively applying for research grant opportunities. The department funds one award amount of $100,000 per year, up to 2 years. Up to $20,000 per year may be used to fund materials and supplies. Funds may only be used for the PI salary. Salary support for other personnel not allowed.
2025-2027 Awardee
Katyayini Arabindi, MD
Fellow, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Recognizes faculty at the professor level for their distinguished contributions to research. Awardee is provided with a plaque and recognized at the department’s annual Academic Forum.
2025 Awardee
Patrick S. Romano, M.D., M.P.H, Professor, General Medicine and Bioethics
Recognizes faculty at the assistant and associate level for their distinguished contributions to research. Awardee is provided with a plaque and recognized at the department’s annual Academic Forum.
2025 Awardee
Padmini Sirish, Ph.D.
Associate Adjunct Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
Awards are given for outstanding proposals. Awardees receive $7,000 to support their project.
- Support and promote collaborative translational research with focus on infectious diseases and endocrinology
- M.D. physician researcher investigators at all levels.
2025 Awardee
Tahir Mahmood, M.D.
Assistant Physician, Chief Resident Physician, Department of Internal Medicine and rising Cardiovascular Medicine Fellow at UC Davis Health (July, 2025)
Title of Proposed Study: "Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on peripheral mitochondrial respiratory rates and IL-8 levels in patients with and without diabetes after recent myocardial infarction: A pilot prospective
study"
Dr. John (Jack) Rutledge, M.D. was an outstanding cardiologist and physician scientist who dedicated 45 years of his life to a distinguished career in academic medicine contributing greatly to elevating the standing of the University. He held many leadership roles and served as The Department of Internal Medicine's Vice Chair for Research. He was admired by his colleagues for his many qualities including his intellect, creativity, and selflessness in advancing the careers of others having mentored over 70 health science trainees during his long and distinguished career including graduate students, residents, and fellows. The Trainee Research Award is named in his honor to acknowledge his remarkable legacy of dedication to mentoring and developing science trainees and early career faculty. Awards are given for outstanding papers or manuscripts published, submitted, or in preparation during current academic year.
Each awardee is presented with a $1,500 research award and plaque. Each mentor is presented with a $500 research award. Awards are distributed at the department’s annual Academic Forum. The award is intended to:
- Recognize and reward trainees (residents, clinical fellows, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars) for excellence in research
- Encourage scientific academic careers
- Attract research-oriented medical students to our residency program
- Encourage trainees’ scholarship by pairing them with highly successful mentors
- Increase departmental cohesion around trainee scholarship
- Encourage philanthropic support from the community for our department’s academic mission because of our commitment to developing medical scientists
2025 Resident Awardees
Drew Faturos, M.D.
Mentor: Muhammad Bilal Munir, M.D., M.P.H.
"Sociodemographic Disparities in Coronary Artery Calcium Screening"
Amanda Nguyen, M.D.
Mentor: Surabhi Madwhal Atreja, M.D., F.A.C.C., R.P.V.I.
"Comparative Outcomes of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Device Implantation in Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Lower to Intermediate Stroke Risk"
2025 Clinical Fellow Awardees
Ahmad Gill, M.D.
Mentor: Imo Ebong, M.D., M.B.B.S., M.S.
"Sex differences in the presentation, pathophysiology and prognosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction"
Tanya Savenka, M.D.
Mentor: Michael Saccente, M.D., F.A.C.P.
"Diagnostic Accuracy of Plasma Cytomegalovirus Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing in People with HIV"
2025 Postdoc and Graduate Student Awardees
Dhiraj Nallapothula
Mentor: Maryam Afkarian, M.D., Ph.D.
"Spatial Proteomics of Human Diabetic Kidney Disease, from Health to Class III"
The goal of the Richard A. and Nora Eccles Harrison Small Grant for Diabetes Research Award is to recognize and reward trainees and junior faculty for research in the treatment or prevention of diabetes mellitus or its complications, with the goals of encouraging research targeting diabetes or its complications and fostering collaboration across departments, colleges, and centers. A one-time award ($15,000 in two installments) will be offered every year for outstanding ongoing project in diabetes or its complications.
2025 Awardee
Bridgette Smith, MPH
Graduate Student Researcher, General Medicine
Awards are given for outstanding papers or manuscripts published, submitted, or in preparation during current academic year. Awards will be given for 1) outstanding manuscripts published or submitted during current academic year ($1,000); 2) manuscripts in-preparation or ongoing projects ($500).
- Reward trainees (residents, clinical fellows, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars) for excellence in diabetes research
- Encourage trainee scholarship
2025 Awardees
Stephanie Christensen, M.D.
Mentor: Mariam Afkarianj, M.D., Ph.D.
"Inflammatory Markers and Mood Symptoms in Teens with Type 1 Diabetes"
Tahir Mahmood, M.D.
Mentor: Javier Lopez, M.D.
"Unwanted Effects of SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP1 Agonists in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Case Series"
Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Ph.D.
Mentor: Amparo Villablanca, M.D.
"Global Genomic Profile of Hippocampal Endothelial cells by single nuclei RNA sequencing in Female Diabetic Mice is Associated with Cognitive Dysfunction"
Manuel Rojas, M.D.
Mentor: William Ridgway, M.D.
"Human alternately Spliced Soluble CD137 Isoforms Suppress Immune Responses 1 via the mTORC1 Pathway"