2004 Young Investigator Award Winners:
Sarah Gebb, Ph.D. University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver
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. Gebb's behalf. The focus of her research is normal lung development and how premature birth disrupts this process. Her lab has observed that prior to birth, the lung actually needs a low oxygen environment to grow and develop properly. Thus, the high oxygen environment that a premature baby's lungs are exposed to after birth may actually impede lung growth. Dr. Gebb is also investigating several approaches to improve lung development in the high oxygen environment in hopes of improving the mortality and morbidity associated with premature birth.
Dolly Mehta, Ph.D. University of Illinois
The Giles F. Filley Memorial Award in Respiratory Physiology and Medicine
An award of $20,000 will be made to the University of Illinois on behalf of Dr. Mehta. She is studying the effects of RhoA, a low molecular weight G protein found to be a central player in disrupting the cell layer that lines blood vessels. This layer, called the endothelial barrier, is vital in maintaining fluid balance in tissue. Dr. Mehta's lab is investigating the role of Rho regulators in controlling the activation of RhoA. This research will shed light on the mechanisms
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Contact: Stacy Brooks
sbrooks@the-aps.org
301-634-7253
American Physiological Society
15-Apr-2004