Four GIM Fellows Granted NIH Awards

 
A record number of four GIM Fellows have garnered awards from the NIH’s Loan Repayment Program this year.  Under the program, the NIH forgives $35,000 in educational debt per year plus additional amounts to cover taxes to doctoral-level researchers. In return, awardees make a two-year commitment to at least a 50% effort to their clinical research career. Fewer than 40% of applications to the program resulted in new grants in FY 2007, and almost 75% of renewal applications that year were funded.

The NIH Loan Repayment Awards were granted to Raquel Charles, MD, MPH for her project "Ethnic/racial disparities in chronic kidney disease awareness and patient education”;  Wendy Bennett, MD, MPH for research into “Prevention of cardiovascular disease in women with a history of gestational diabetes”; Lipika Samal, MD, MHS for a project entitled “Improving Diabetes Outcomes Using Information Technology”; and Nisa Maruthur, MD, MPH for investigation into “Prevention and Treatment of Obesity and Its Complications." Dr. Bennett received a renewal of her award, while Dr. Charles, Dr. Samal and Dr. Maruthur won new awards.

Congratulations to all four GIM Fellows!