Research Awards | Department of Internal Medicine | UC Davis Health

Research Awards

Recognizes faculty at the professor level for their distinguished contributions to research. Awardee(s) is provided with a plaque and recognized at the department’s annual Academic Forum.

2023

Nipavan Chiamviminvat, M.D., Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine

Past Recipients

  • 2022: Sidika E. Karakas, M.D., Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • 2021: John C. Rutledge, M.D., Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
  • 2020: Saul Schaefer, M.D., Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
  • 2019: Chong- Xian Pan, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Hematology and Oncology
  • 2018: Jerold Last, Ph.D., Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care
  • 2017: Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D., Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
  • 2017: Tzipora Goldkorn, Ph.D., Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
  • 2016: Ezra Amsterdam, M.D., Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
  • 2016: Robert Weiss, M.D., Professor, Nephrology           
  • 2015: Carroll Cross, M.D., Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • 2014: Charles Halsted, M.D., Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
  • 2013: George Kaysen, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Nephrology

Recognizes faculty at the assistant and associate level for their distinguished contributions to research.  Awardee(s) is provided with a plaque and recognized at the department’s annual Academic Forum.

2023

Enkhmaa Byambaa, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Past Recipients

  • 2022: Stephen G. Henry, M.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor, General Medicine, Geriatrics and Bioethics
  • 2021: Justin M. Oldham, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep  Medicine
  • 2020: Christopher Bowlus, M.D., Professor and Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
  • 2019: Jason Adams, M.D., M.S., Assistant Clinical Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • 2019: Sooraj Tejaswi, M.D., M.S.P.H., Associate Professor, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
  • 2018: Primo Lara, M.D., Professor and Chief, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • 2018: Uma Srivatsa, M.D., Associate Professor,  Cardiovascular Medicine 
  • 2018: Elisa Tong, M.D., Associate Professor, General Medicine, Geriatrics and Bioethics
  • 2017: George Thompson, III, M.D., Associate Professor, Medical Microbiology and Immunology
  • 2016: Michael Schivo, M.A.S., M.D., Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine          
  • 2015: Valentina Medici, M.D., Associate Professor, Gastroenterology and Hepatology
  • 2014: Amir Zeki, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
  • 2013: Chong-Xian Pan, M.D., Assistant Professor, Hematology and Oncology

John C. Rutledge, M.D.

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 travel award and plaque.  Each mentor is presented with a $500 travel 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

2023 Residents

Anthony Kong, M.D.
Mentor: Javier Lopez, M.D.
"Medical Disruptions During Center-based Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Necessary Appraisal for the Development of Emerging Remote and Virtual Care Models"

Sartajdeep Bobby Kahlon, M.D.
Mentor: Shio Urayama, M.D. 
"Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound for Pre-Intervention Evaluation in Early Esophageal Cancer"

Clinical Fellows

Ebaa Al-Obeidi, M.D.
Mentor: David Gandara, M.D.
"Convergence of Precision Oncology and Liquid Biopsy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer"

Tamer Othman, M.D.
Mentor: Joseph Tuscano, M.D.
"Yttrium-90 ibritumomab tiuxetan plus ATG/TLI conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic cell 3 transplantation in non-Hodgkin lymphoma"

Postdocs and Graduate Students

Phung Thai, Ph.D.
Mentor: Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D.
"Disruption of mitochondria-sarcoplasmic reticulum micro domain connectomics contributes to sinus node dysfunction in heart failure"

Paulo De Alcantara Rocha
Mentor: Martin Cadeiras, M.D.
"Neonatal Chemokine Markers Predict Subsequent Diagnosis of autism Spectrum Disorder and Delayed Development"

Previous Recipients

2022 Recipients

Residents

David Alexander Goodson, M.D.
Mentor: Ling-Xin Chen, M.D.
Comparison of Estimation Equations of Glomerular Filtration Rate in an Ethnically Diverse Population of Potential Living Kidney Donors

Roshni Khatiwala, M.D.
Mentors: Dali Fan, M.D. and Uma Srivatsa, M.D.
Electrical Abnormalities with St. Jude/Abbott Pacing Leads: A systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Clinical Fellows

Brian Pham, M.D. 
Mentor: Rasmus Hoeg, M.D.
Safety and Tolerability of Lenalidomide Maintenance in Post-transplant Acute Myeloid Leukemia and High-risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Cindy Piao, M.D.
Mentor: Souvik Sarkar, M.D. 
A Machine Learning Model to Predict Risk for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients

Postdoctoral Scholars and Graduate Students

Renata Abrahao, M.D.
Mentor: Theresa Keegan, Ph.D., M.S.
Stage at Diagnosis and Survival Among Adolescents and Young Adults with Lymphomas Following the Affordable Care Act Implementation in California

Danielle Hyun Jung Kim
Mentor: Judy Van de Water, Ph.D. 
Neonatal Chemokine Markers Predict Subsequent Diagnosis of autism Spectrum Disorder and Delayed Development

2021 Recipients

Residents

Andew Chiou, M.D.
Mentor: Jeffrey Southard, M.D.
Understanding Repeat Hospitalizations in Intermediate-To-High Risk Aortic Stenosis Patients Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Postdoctoral Scholars and Graduate Students

Saivageethi Nuthi, Ph.D. 
Mentor: Amparo Villablanca, M.D.
Lipotoxic Injury Deferentially Regulates Brain Microvascular Gene Expression in Male Mice

Erick Romero, M.D. 
Mentor: Martin Caderias, M.D.
Rejection-associated Mitochondrial Impairment After Heart Transplantation

Alexandra Ramirez- Celis
Mentor: Judy Van de Water, Ph.D.
Risk Assessment Analysis for Maternal Autoantibody-Related Autism (MAR-ASD): A Subtype Of Autism

Lu Ren
Mentor: Nipavan Chiamvimonat, M.D.
Adenylyl Cyclase Isoform 1 Contributes to Sinoatrial Node Automaticity via β-Adrenergic Receptor Pathway at Functional Microdomains

2020 Recipients

Clinical Fellows

Minh-Vu Nguyen M.D., M.Sc.
Mentor: George Thompson, M.D.
Paper: Posaconazole Serum Drug Levels Associated with Pseudohyperaldosteronism

Janelle Vu Pagashetti, M.D.
Mentor: Justin Oldham M.D.
Paper: Derivation and Validation of a Diagnostic Prediction Tool for Interstitial Lung Disease

Postdoctoral Scholars and Graduate Students

Cindy V. Valencia, M.P.H.
Mentor: Elisa Tong, M.D.
Factors Underlying Disparities in Latino and Non-Latino White Medicaid Smokers Receiving Provider Advice and Assistance in California Post-Medicaid Expansion

David Yang
Mentor: Ching-Hsien Chen Ph.D.
Tackling MARCKS-PIP3 Circuit Attenuates Fibroblast Activation and Fibrosis Progression

Awards are given for outstanding papers or manuscripts published, submitted, or in preparation during current academic year. Awardees are presented with a $250 monetary award and plaque at the department’s annual Academic Forum. The award is intended to:

  • Reward trainees (residents, clinical fellows, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars) for excellence in diabetes research
  • Encourage trainee scholarship

2023

Ming-Fo Hsu, Ph.D.
Mentor: Maryam Afkarian, M.D., Ph.D.
"Deficiency of the Src homology phosphatase 2 in podocytes is associated with renoprotective effects in mice under hyperglycemia"

Anthony An Khong, M.D.
Mentor: Javier E. Lopez, M.D.
"Medical Disruptions During Center-based Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Necessary Appraisal for the Development of Emerging Remote and Virtual Care Models"

Nina Liu, M.D.
Mentor: Javier Lopez, M.D.
"Individualized Strength- and Aerobic-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Improves Functional Capacity and Metabolic Risk Factors in Patients with Diabetes"

Jennifer E. Norman Ph.D.
Mentor: Amparo Villablanca, M.D.
"A high sucrose diet modifies brain oxylipins in a sex-dependent manner"

Saivageethi Nuthikattu, Ph.D.
Mentor: Amparo Villablanca, M.D.
"The Brain’s Microvascular Response to High Glycemia and to the Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Is Sexually Dimorphic"

Lankai Cathy Xu, M.D.
Mentor: Valentina Medici, M.D.
"Liver Cirrhosis Prediction Models in a Population of Latina and White Women"

Past Recipients

2022

Phung Thai, Ph.D.
Mentor: Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D.
Ketone Ester D-β-Hydroxybutyrate-(R)-1,3 Butanediol Prevents Decline in Cardiac Function in Type 2 Diabetic Mice

2021

Tagreed Mazi
Mentor: Valentina Medici, M.D.
Ethnicity-specific Alteration in Plasma and Hepatic Lipidomic Profile May Contribute to High NAFLD Rate and Severity in Hispanics, A pilot study 

2020

Phung N. Thai, Ph.D.
Mentor: Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, M.D.
Ketone ester diet enhances mitochondrial bioenergetics, preserves mitochondrial quality control and improves cardiac function in diabetic mice

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.   

2023

Hiba Basheer, M.D.
Health Science Assistant Clinical Professor, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
"Study of The Prevalence, Transcriptional Profile and Genetic Signature of Thyroid Cancer Among Transgender Females."