Augusta University offers various competitive intramural grants to our researchers.

Matteo Borgini, Ph.D.
“Mapping Protein Targets of Novel Covalent Inhibitors to Expand the Druggable
Proteome”

Mohamed Ibrahem, Ph.D.
“SHIELD: Secure and Adaptive LLM-Powered Healthcare in Resource-Limited
Settings”

Michael Katz, Ph.D.
“Profiles of Therapist Technique in Community Practice in Relation to Patient
Crying: A US Pilot”

Robert Saunders, Ph.D.
“Let's Jam: A Community Music Method”

Blaire Zeiders, Ph.D.
“The Arthurian Catechism: Reading Literature as Liturgy in Early Modern
England”

Lorriane Odhiambo, Ph.D.
“Feasibility of Smartphone-Enabled Active Case-Finding for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Clinical Setting”

Dustin Pluta, Ph.D.
“GP-Augmented Survival Models for Multi-Cancer Outcomes in SEER-Medicare Data”

Dr. Jessica Faulkner
“Lipid peroxidation-driven mechanisms for peripartum cardiomyopathy”

Dr. Daria Ilatovskaya
“Lipid peroxidation-driven mechanisms for peripartum cardiomyopathy”

Dr. Stephen Hsu
“EC16 Nanoparticles as a Novel Drug Delivery System for Neurodegenerative Diseases"

Dr. Ranya El Sayed
“EC16 Nanoparticles as a Novel Drug Delivery System for Neurodegenerative Diseases"

Dr. Guido Verbeck
“EC16 Nanoparticles as a Novel Drug Delivery System for Neurodegenerative Diseases"

Dr. Amal Kaddoumi
"Dietary supplementation with EVOO phenolics prevents MCI progression to Alzheimer’s disease”

Dr. Ryan Harris
"Dietary supplementation with EVOO phenolics prevents MCI progression to Alzheimer’s disease”

Dr. Siva Panda
“Translational Development of Hybrid Conjugates: A Novel Strategy for Treating Metastatic Breast Cancer”

Dr. Brian Stansfield
"A Novel Liver-Eye Axis Implicated in Retinopathy of Prematurity”

Dr. Nicola Zetola Burneo
"PNP-US: Validation, Calibration, and Silent Prospective Evaluation of a Capacity-Aware Hospital Deterioration Prediction System”

Dipankar Ash, Ph.D.
“Miro1-mediated mitochondrial transfer from endothelial cells protects against retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury”

Waylon Brunette, Ph.D.
“Automated Generation and Evaluation of Clinical Case-Based Multiple-Choice Questions Using Biomedical Ontologies and Transformer Models”

Ahmet Guven, Ph.D.
“Automated Generation and Evaluation of Clinical Case-Based Multiple-Choice Questions Using Biomedical Ontologies and Transformer Models”

Nicole Winston, PharmD
“Automated Generation and Evaluation of Clinical Case-Based Multiple-Choice Questions Using Biomedical Ontologies and Transformer Models”

Rudolf Lucas, Ph.D.
“A novel peptide-based approach to improve vascular endothelial function in T1D”

Muthusamy Thangaraju, Ph.D.
“Netrin-1 is a new and novel biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for the ADPKD cystogenesis”

Wei Zhang, Ph.D.
“Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Neuroimaging to Advance Stroke Analysis and Understanding”

Xingguo Zhu, Ph.D.
“Decoding Gamma Globin Repression via a DNAse I Cis-Regulatory Element”

Betty Pace, Ph.D.
“Decoding Gamma Globin Repression via a DNAse I Cis-Regulatory Element”
FY 2025

Sumit Fogla, MD
"Enhancing Care of Older Adults in Chronic Illness Clinic Using the 4M Aging Model"
GSU PI: Katherine Hsieh, PhD, Department of Physical Therapy, GSU

Wei Zhang, PhD
“A Large Language Model and An Efficient Deep Learning-Based Framework to Advance Early and Non-invasive Diagnostics for Mild Cognitive Impairment”
GSU PI: Houping Xiao, PhD, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, GSU

Vahe Heboyan, Ph.D.
“Pilot testing of an economic decision model for community based preventive interventions for dental caries in vulnerable populations”
University of Aberdeen PI:
Dwayne Boyers, Ph.D.
Department of Health Economics

Stephanie Johnson Ph.D.
“Exploration of Occupational Therapy management for people with Parkinson’s disease: A cross-sectional comparison between the state of Georgia and Scotland”
Robert Gordon University PI:
Julie Jones, Ph.D.
School of Health Sciences, Department of Economic, Social and Cultural Development

Ashwini Tiwari, Ph.D. & Matthew Cornish, MD
“Advancing Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatric Primary Care Settings Serving Rural Populations- A Comparative Exploration of Practices in Augusta and the Grampian Region"
Robert Gordon University PI:
Kayleigh-Anne Walker, MSc
School of Health Sciences

Matthew Cornish, MD & Ashwini Tiwari, Ph.D.
“Advancing Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatric Primary Care Settings Serving Rural Populations- A Comparative Exploration of Practices in Augusta and the Grampian Region"
Robert Gordon University PI:
Kayleigh-Anne Walker, MSc
School of Health Sciences

Dr. Marlo Vernon
“Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Gestational Diabetes: A Pilot Study”

Dr. Ashwini Pandey
“From Training to Action: Using Implementation Science to Explore Trauma-Informed Care in Rural Georgia”

Wendy Bollag, Ph.D.

Shruti Sharma, Ph.D.

Gokila Dorai, Ph.D.

Santhakumar Manicassamy, Ph.D.

Nagendra Singh, Ph.D.

Shaoyong Su, Ph.D.

Xiaoling Wang, Ph.D.

Alexander Verin, Ph.D.

Graydon Gonsalvez, Ph.D.

Paul Langridge, Ph.D.

Honglin Li, Ph.D.

Stuart Thompson, Ph.D.

Seungwoo Kang, Ph.D.

Jason Orlosky, Ph.D.

Xingming Shi, Ph.D.

Syed Zaidi, Ph.D.

Jennifer Bradford, Ph.D.
“Determining How the CXCR3/CXCL10 and NF-kappaB Signaling Pathways are Connected to Alter Macrophage Phenotype in Triple Negative Breast Cancer”

Rebecca Harper, Ph.D.
“Literacy on the Field: How Athletics Programs Support a Reinforce Literacy Skills”

Courtney Kalbacker, DMA
“Defining the Defiant: A Guide to the Art Song and Opera of E. Adaïewsky (1846-1926) for Performers, Teachers and Scholars"

Paul Langridge, Ph.D.
“Biophysical Principles of Synthetic Cell-Cell Signaling in Vivo"

Benjamin Ogrodnik, Ph.D.
"Unraveling a Cotton Nation: Textile Histories and Women Artists of the Texas-Mexico Borderlands"

Peter Robinson, Ph.D.
"Secure Distributed Graph Processing"

Rhucha Samudra, Ph.D.
"Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Mental Health Outcomes"
FY 2024

Gianluca De Leo, PhD
“Teaching Parents Communication Strategies Using an APP: Examining Parent-Child Outcomes”
GSU PI: MaryAnn Romski, PhD and Rose Sevcik, PhD

Deborah Jehu, PhD
“The Predictors of Falls Among Older Adults with Impaired Mobility”
GSU PI: Katherine Hsieh, PhD

Christy Ledford, PhD, FACH
“Does community engagement promote health equity by increasing recruitment and retention of racially and ethnically diverse samples?”
GSU PI: Claire Spears, PhD

Qihua Qiu, PhD
“Racial/ethnic disparities in changes in prescription medication expenditures on smoking cessation medication among U.S. adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic”
GSU PI: Jidong Huang, PhD

Kendall Buchanan, MD
“Using app-based digital healthcare intervention to encourage total skin self-examination by melanoma survivors”
University of Aberdeen PI: Peter Murchie, PhD,

Denise Kornegay, MSW
“How can hybrid healthcare education drive change in remote, rural, and island practice?”
University of Aberdeen PI: Anita Laidlaw

Travis McMaine, DMD
“Study of rural residents using urgent care and emergency departments for dental care: Examination of the relationship between visits to urgent care facilities and emergency departments due to non-traumatic dental conditions among residents of DHPSAs in the state of Georgia (GA) as well as Aberdeen and surrounding areas"
University of Aberdeen PI: Ekta Gupta, PhD

Preethi Reddi
“Maternal health- delayed antenatal care: Understanding barriers to care through the perspectives of new mothers who experienced delayed antenatal care in rural Georgia and rural Scotland”
Robert Gordon University PI: Joanna Shim

Namwon Choi, MFA

Christina Heckman, Ph.D.

Mohamed Ibrahem, Ph.D.
"SAFE-5G: Safeguarding 5G and Beyond Networks Against Cyber Threats and Data Privacy Leaks in the Era of AI-driven ORAN"

Eric Numfor, Ph.D.
"The Impact of Defective Viral Genomes on the Spread and Control of SARS-CoV-2: Multiscale Modeling"

Wendy Turner, Ph.D.
"Connections Between Violence and Mental Trauma in Medieval English Legal Records"

Angelia Winkler, Ph.D.
"Hydration and cardiovascular disease risk assessments in firefighters"

Onyeka Ezenwoye, Ph.D.

Dawn Langley-Brady, Ph.D, MSN

Ashwini Tiwari, Ph.D.
"Exploring Maternal and Child Health through Systematic Braiding- A Breastfeeding and Parenting Initiative for Expecting African American Women"
MPIs: Drs. Tiwari, Vernon and Datta

Marlo Vernon, Ph.D.
"Exploring Maternal and Child Health through Systematic Braiding- A Breastfeeding and Parenting Initiative for Expecting African American Women"
MPIs: Drs. Tiwari, Vernon and Datta

Biplab Datta, Ph.D.
"Exploring Maternal and Child Health through Systematic Braiding- A Breastfeeding and Parenting Initiative for Expecting African American Women"
MPIs: Drs. Tiwari, Vernon and Datta

Xiaoling Wang, Ph.D.
"Stress, chronodisruption and accelerated aging: the mechanistic view from diurnal oscillations of salivary metabolomics and microbiome"
MPIs: Drs. Wang and Baban

Babak Baban, Ph.D.
"Stress, chronodisruption and accelerated aging: the mechanistic view from diurnal oscillations of salivary metabolomics and microbiome"
MPIs: Drs. Wang and Baban

Haidong Zhu, MD
Mechanisms and Biomarkers for early detection"
MPIs: Drs. Zhu and Vernon

Marlo Vernon, Ph.D.
Mechanisms and Biomarkers for early detection"
MPIs: Drs. Zhu and Vernon

Xingguo Zhu, Ph.D.
"Heme-induced metabolic stress drives ferroptosis in sickle cell disease"
MPIs: Drs. Zhu and Pace

Betty Pace, MD
"Heme-induced metabolic stress drives ferroptosis in sickle cell disease"
MPIs: Drs. Zhu and Pace

Manuela Bartoli, Ph.D.

Jian-Kang Chen

Yanbin Dong, MD, Ph.D.

Sergei Kirov, Ph.D.

Lawrence Layman, MD

Lin Gan, Ph.D.

David Mysona, MD

Kim Barker, Ph.D.
"CLIMBE: Collaborative Learning in a Multidisciplinary Based Environment"
MPI's: Dr. Barker and Sharon Swift

Sharon Swift, EDD, OTR/L
"CLIMBE: Collaborative Learning in a Multidisciplinary Based Environment"
MPI's: Dr. Barker and Sharon Swift

Darren Browning, Ph.D.

Ahmed Elmarakby, Ph.D.

Elena Schiopu, MD

David Stepp, Ph.D.
FY 2023

Stephen Hsu, PhD
"Pre-IND studies of novel EC16 nasal formulations to reduce Post-COVID neurologic symptoms"
GSU PI: Mukesh Kumar PhD, DVM, Biology Department

Stacie Pettit, PhD
"Factors Influencing the Successful Transition of Students in Foster Care to Higher Education: An Exploratory Pilot Study"
GSU PI: Ann DiGirolamo, PhD, MPH, Georgia Health Policy Center

Christy Ledford, PhD, FACH
"Novel instruments for assessing community perceptions of researchers and the research process"
GSU PI: Leslie Wolf, JD, MPH, College of Law

Rachel Elam, MD

Hong Shi, MD

Jennifer Bradford, PhD

Dinesh Hasija, PhD

John Hayes, PhD

E. Nicole Meyer, PhD

Siva Panda, PhD

Marcel Ramalho de Mello, DA

Ahmed El-Awady, PhD
"The Role of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells in Dendritic Cell Dysfunction in Periodontitis"
MPIs: Drs. El-Awady and Korkaya

Hasan Korkaya, PhD
"The Role of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells in Dendritic Cell Dysfunction in Periodontitis"
MPIs: Drs. El-Awady and Korkaya

Joshua Thomas, PhD
"COV, Mental Health, and Soul Study (CMAS STUDY)"
MPIs: Drs. Thomas and McCall

W. Vaughn McCall
"COV, Mental Health, and Soul Study (CMAS STUDY)"
MPIs: Drs. Thomas and McCall

Molly Kindred, PhD

Qihua Qiu, PhD

Nicholas Schoenmann, MD
"Severe hemorrhage resuscitation with dichloroacetate in a swine model"
MPIs: Drs. Schoenmann, Raju, and Lyon

Raghavan Raju, PhD
"Severe hemorrhage resuscitation with dichloroacetate in a swine model"
MPIs: Drs. Schoenmann, Raju, and Lyon

Matthew Lyon, MD
"Severe hemorrhage resuscitation with dichloroacetate in a swine model"
MPIs: Drs. Schoenmann, Raju, and Lyon

Shruti Sharma, PhD
"Interleukin-6 trans signaling and Inflammaging"
MPIs: Drs. Sharma and Hoffman

Jessica Hoffman, PhD
"Interleukin-6 trans signaling and Inflammaging"
MPIs: Drs. Sharma and Hoffman

Alexander Verin, PhD
"ESAM-mediated mechanisms of lung injury in HFpEF"
MPIs: Drs. Verin and Bagi

Zsolt Bagi, MD, PhD
"ESAM-mediated mechanisms of lung injury in HFpEF"
MPIs: Drs. Verin and Bagi

Wei Zhang, DPB
"Elucidation of the in vivo function of DDX21 in proliferative vasculopathy"

Gabor Csanyi, Ph.D.
"SMC macropinocytosis: A novel target in atherosclerotic vascular disease"

Yan Cui, Ph.D.
"Markers of oral precancer progression to cancer"
MPIs: Drs. Cui, Huidong, and Kurago

Shi Huidong, Ph.D.
"Markers of oral precancer progression to cancer"
MPIs: Drs. Cui, Huidong, and Kurago

Zoya Kurago, DDS, Ph.D.
"Markers of oral precancer progression to cancer"
MPIs: Drs. Cui, Huidong, and Kurago

Catherine Davis, Ph.D.
"Glycemic Excursion Minimization (GEM) to Outshine Health Disparities"

Kunzhe Dong, Ph.D.
"Dissecting mechanism underlying regulation of lncRNA PRDM16-DT on its adjacent gene PRDM16 in vascular smooth muscle cells"

Ali Eroglu, Ph.D.
"Clinical-grade vitrification of human oocytes and ovaries"

Pamela Martin, Ph.D.
"Understanding the relevance of RPE-BHB in retinal health and disease"

Riyaz Mohamed, Ph.D.
“Netrin-1 signaling in renal cystogenesis"

Muthusamy Thangaraju, Ph.D.
"RAD51AP1 is a novel therapeutic target for PARP inhibitor-associated drug resistance in triple-negative breast cancer"

Guangyu Wu, Ph.D.
"Spatiotemporal regulation of GPCR-mediated MAPK activation in prostate cancer"

Marlo Vernon, Ph.D.
"Improving Pregnancy Outcomes through Remote Monitoring"
MPIs: Drs. Vernon and Tracy

Dustin Tracy, Ph.D.
"Improving Pregnancy Outcomes through Remote Monitoring"
MPIs: Drs. Vernon and Tracy

Zsolt Bagi, Ph.D.
"Microvascular and immune cell mechanisms of cancer development in HFpEF"

Jiankang Chen, Ph.D.
"Producing Pilot Data for R01 Resubmission to Study Pik3c3 in Diabetic Nephropathy"

Lynn Glenn, Ph.D.
"Healthy Women & Healthy Communities: A Tailored Diabetes Prevention Program Designed to Create Healthy Women, Healthy Communities, and Health Equity in Rural GA"

Sharad Purohit, Ph.D.
"Serum anti-glycan antibodies are associated with progression to T1D"

Wendy Bollag, Ph.D., FAHA
"The Sex-specific Role of the Co-activator, Peroxisome Proliferator-activated"
MPIs: Drs. Bollag and Isales

Carlos Isales, MD
"The Sex-specific Role of the Co-activator, Peroxisome Proliferator-activated"
MPIs: Drs. Bollag and Isales