FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2005
Contact: Stacy Brooks
American Physiological Society
301-634-7253
sbrooks@the-aps.org
APS Announces Four
2005 Young Investigators Awards
BETHESDA, Md. – The American Physiological Society
(APS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2005 Young Investigators
Awards. The awardees, who hold academic standing up to the assistant
professor level, are APS members who have demonstrated outstanding promise
in the field of physiology. More than $54,000 in monetary prizes is
presented to the recipients and their research programs. Winners will
receive their awards on Monday, April 4 at the International Union of the
Physiological Sciences (IUPS) meeting in San Diego.
2005 Young Investigator Award Winners:
Susan Majka, Ph.D. –
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
The Giles F. Filley Memorial Award in Respiratory Physiology and Medicine
An award of $20,000 will be made to the University of Colorado Health
Sciences Center on Dr. Majka’s behalf. The focus of her research is
vascular stem cells that, when disrupted during development, can produce
long term impairment of lung function. Currently, her lab is studying the
effect of oxidative stress on cells that would normally be endothelial or
smooth muscle but that instead turn into fibroblast-type cells.
Understanding why the cells change could lead to advances in stem cell
and/or gene therapy.
David Fuller, Ph.D. –
University of Florida
The Giles F. Filley Memorial Award in Respiratory Physiology and Medicine
An award of $20,000 will be made to the University of Florida on behalf of
Dr. Fuller. Dr. Fuller’s laboratory uses neurophysiological techniques to
explore mechanisms of plasticity (the ability to change) influencing
respiratory neuron, nerve and muscle behavior following high cervical spinal
cord injury. Specifically, Dr. Fuller’s research is aimed at understanding
how adaptations in the brain and spinal cord influence the control of the
respiratory muscles. Increased control of respiratory muscles may benefit
spinally injured patients by promoting less dependence on mechanical
ventilators and improved quality of life.
Rong Ma, Ph.D. –
University of North Texas Health Sciences Center
The Lazaro J. Mandel Young Investigator Award
This $7,500 award recognizes an individual with outstanding
promise in the field of epithelial and renal physiology and will be given on
Dr. Ma’s behalf to University of North Texas Health Sciences Center. His
research focuses on physiological function and regulating mechanisms of ion
channels in kidney cells. Dr. Ma also studies pathological relevance of the
ion channels in certain kidney diseases, such as diabetic and polycystic
kidney disease.
David L. Allen, Ph.D. – University of
Colorado, Boulder
The Shih-Chun Wang Young Investigators Award
This $7,000 award recognizes an individual with outstanding
promise in the field of physiological research. Dr. Allen’s research focuses
on the molecular biology underlying muscle adaptation to exercise. In
particular, he is studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms that repair
muscle following strenuous exercise. He is specifically interested in the
role of connective-tissue degrading enzymes known as matrix
metalloproteinases or MMPs in exercise-induced muscle damage and repair.
For more information on the APS and the Young
Investigator Awards, go to
http://www.the-aps.org/awards/society.htm or contact Stacy Brooks at
301-634-7253 or
sbrooks@the-aps.org.
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The American Physiological Society is a professional scientific
membership organization devoted to fostering scientific research, education,
and the dissemination of scientific information. The APS supports a variety
of educational activities including programs and fellowships to encourage
the development of young scientists at the undergraduate and graduate
levels, with a particular focus on women and underrepresented minorities.
Founded in 1887, the Society’s membership includes more than 11,000
professionals in science and medicine.
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