Meet the Grant Awardees

Karl Storz Research Award

2020
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​Timothy J. Ridolfi MD, MS
Associate Professor
Division of Colorectal Surgery
Department of Surgery
Medical College of Wisconsin and Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI

Project Title: MRI Prediction and Evaluation for Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Rectal Cancer

​Major Goals of the Project: Our long-term goal is to develop a series of pre- and post-neoadjuvant CRT measurements that can be easily measured and accurately predict the chances that a complete response has occurred.
2019
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Filip Bednar, MD, PhD
VA Ann Arbor Health System
​Ann Arbor, MI

Project Title: Regulation of Oncogenic Kras Signaling and Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer by Bmi1

Major Goals of the Project: Our long-term goal is to develop pancreatic cancer therapeutics that alter the epigenetic state of cancer cells and either destroy them directly or sensitize them to other forms of existing therapy including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy.
2018
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Courtney Balentine, MD, MPH
North Texas VA Healthcare System
​Dallas, TX

Project Title: Developing Tools to Measure and Improve Postoperative Outcomes for Older Veterans

Major Goals of the Project: This project is designed to improve the quality of pre-, peri-, and postoperative care for older Veterans (≥65 years old) by increasing adherence to evidence-based geriatric care guidelines.
2017
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Jean Marie Ruddy, MD
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC

Project Title: IL6 Initiates Infrarenal Aortic Remodeling and Propagates Aneurysm Development

Major Goals of the Project: To explore the mechanistic pathway through IL-6-STAT3 signaling in aortic medial cells that links inflammation and aneurysm disease, and this project hypothesizes that the IL-6-STAT3 pathway enables AA degenerative remodeling by initiating aortic inflammatory cell infiltration and protease production to
propagate AAA formation.
2016
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Ryan Thomas, MD
North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System
Gainesville, FL

Project Title: Role of Gram negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide in CXCR4-mediated pancreatic carcinogenesis

Major Goals of the Project: Based on preliminary work, the Karl Stortz AVAS research grant was based on the hypothesis that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria can facilitate pancreatic cancer progression through upregulation and activation of the chemokine receptor, CXCR4. We sought to determine the effect of LPS on CXCR4 expression in pancreatic cancer in vitro using commercial human cell lines as well as to determine the effect of LPS on oncogenic phenotypes and PDAC signaling pathways in a CXCR4-dependent manner.
2015
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Susan Tsai, MD, MHS
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI

Project Title: Utility of cfDNA as a therapeutic biomarker in pancreatic cancer

​Major Goals of the Project:  The goal of the proposed research is to investigate the utility of monitoring changes in plasma circulating cell free DNA (cfDNA) in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Resident Research Award

2020
Jasmine Walker, MD, MA
Vanderbilt Univeristy
Nashville, TN

Project title:  Assessing the Impact of Policy Changes on Utilization of Veterans Affairs Transplant Centers

Major Goals of the Project: This study seeks to evaluate the impact of two specific policy changes—VA-specific MISSION Act and the broader Kidney Allocation System (KAS)—on the utilization of Veterans Affairs Transplant Centers (VATCs).
2019
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James Barrett, MD
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI

Project Title: Improving surgical outcomes through a patient and provider enhanced perioperative mobile technology platform

Major Goals of the Project: Our hypothesis is that utilization of an innovative perioperative mobile technology platform will improve patient understanding, satisfaction and adherence to perioperative transitions of care, thereby optimizing patient outcomes and resource utilization.
2018
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Jolanta Gorecka, MD
​Yale New Haven Hospital
​New Haven, CT

Project Title: Delivery of activated mesenchymal stem cells accelerates diabetic wound healing


​Major Goals of the Project: To deliver a biomimetic matrix containing activated mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to diabetic wounds in a murine model, the combination of which allows functional cells to survive in vivo to accelerate wound healing.

Faculty Research Award

2020
Edward L Jones MD, MS
General Surgery Section Chief Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center
Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery Division of GI, Trauma and Endocrine Surgery, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Project Title: It’s your Choice: Wait Times and Outcome after VA Community Care Referral for Surgery

Major Goals of the Project: Identify patients who were referred to community care for common surgical operations performed by general surgery, otolaryngology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, urology and vascular surgery.  ​These data will provide an unbiased evaluation of the effectiveness of the Mission Act in its largest area of use (RMR VAMC and VISN 19). This will provide the VA administration, public, and legislators with data necessary to further refine (if necessary) the use of surgical community care for Veterans.