Funds at Work

Y. Joseph Woo, M.D.
University of Pennsylvania
NIH NHLBI/TSFRE Clinical Scientist Development Award

During the past two years, the NIH NHLBI/Thoracic Surgery Foundation for Research and Education jointly sponsored Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award has provided an outstanding research and career development opportunity. This award has provided significant support for research into angiogenic and regenerative approaches to treating heart failure. The work has been presented at meetings including the AATS, STS, and AHA. Thus far, four manuscripts have been published and three more have been accepted detailing the research supported by this award.

This grant has also been instrumental in the application for and receipt of additional grant funding from foundations such as the American Heart Association and from industry. The research supported by this award has been compiled into the preliminary data for an NIH R01 application recently submitted to NHLBI. This award has also supported diverse early career development initiatives such as coursework in molecular biology, cell biology, and control of gene expression as well as participation in symposia such as the AATS series on development of the academic surgeon. The overall impact of this grant award on my career cannot be overstated. It has been highly significant and is greatly appreciated.

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Barbara Robinson, M.D.
Boston Children’s Hospital
Nina Starr Braunwald Research Grant

It has been an honor to have been selected for the highly coveted and competitive Nina Starr Braunwald research Grant. For me, this award has embodied the spirit of Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald, as described to me by her husband, Dr. Eugene Braunwald, namely, the spirit of pursuing clinically relevant research under excellent mentorship.

In this vein, the Nina Starr Braunwald Research Grant has given me the opportunity to transition from research I had done as a general surgery resident on heat stress protein70i induction and myocardial protection, to currently investigating their mechanisms of protection as well as novel pharmacologic methods of induction, eventually for potential study in pathological conditions such as heart failure.

In order to study this, I have been fortunate to have received guidance and inspiration under the tutelage of Dr. Pedro del Nido at Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School. Towards the mission of the Nina Starr Braunwald fellowship, Dr. del Nido has shown particular consideration of my professional development, emphasizing the general strategy of turning a concept into a solid research plan by developing a model, generating data, giving presentations, establishing new collaborations, improving time management, and eventually publishing.

Aside from the academic aspect of development of my own guided and independent research, Dr. del Nido has provided a marvelous example of balancing multiple demands on top of his own research, teaching me aspects of laboratory leadership, strategies for optimal funding and financial support, time management, and establishing collaborations, to also include teaching, administrative tasks, and clinical responsibilities, to which I aspire. He continues to teach me the importance of character, integrity, vision, passion, credibility, empowerment, insight, humility, emotional intelligence and positive selfesteem. Qualities that I have personally have found helpful in him as a mentor have been his accessibility, open-minded, consistency, honesty and savvy, the encouragement of individual thinking and creativity, as well providing networking opportunities.

This time period has allowed me to trust my own instincts as a clinician scientist further than ever before. With the constant encouragement of Dr. del Nido and the support of the Nina Starr Braunwald Research Grant, this combination of attaining highest goals as surgeon-clinician as well as surgeon-scientist has been a dream come true. I hope the data I have generated from these experiments thus far can serve as preliminary data for future grant applications. As I study the application of heat shock proteins in heart failure I only hope a fraction of the knowledge and work habits of Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald and Dr. Pedro del Nido have been instilled in me and will enable me to launch to the next level. None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of the Nina Starr Braunwald Research Grant. I sincerely thank you.