2026-2028 K12 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Director, Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support Program, Tufts Medical Center
Project Summary: The global burden of heart failure (HF) continues to grow, affecting more than 64 million people worldwide. While both chambers of the heart are important in overall function, the right ventricle’s (RV) role in HF has long been ignored in favor of its larger neighbor, the left ventricle (LV). HF may progress to a state where there is insufficient blood flow to support the body, called cardiogenic shock (CS). This is managed by temporary support devices, or heart pumps, to help support the LV. However, it is well known that concomitant RV dysfunction (RVD) in the setting of HF-CS worsens overall survival and the effect of using temporary heart pumps on the RV is unknown. My K12 proposal focuses on better understanding the molecular underpinnings of RVD in HF-CS. To accomplish this, I will be using tissue from patients with HF-CS as well as a large animal (swine) model of HF-CS I have developed to interrogate the effects of temporary heart pumps on RV myocyte biology. This will be done by studying modifications of relevant sarcomere proteins integral to heart function as well as using a unique apparatus in my laboratory to assess changes in myocyte mechanics.
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine
Director, Simulation Program, NICU, Tufts Medical Center
Project Summary: My research focuses on developing safer, less invasive ways to monitor vital signs in newborns, especially those born prematurely. In today’s neonatal intensive care units, babies are typically connected to adhesive sensors and wires that can damage fragile skin, increase infection risk, and make it harder for parents to hold and bond with their infants. I am leading a collaborative effort between Tufts Medical Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Clinical and Translational Research to develop a new system that uses a combination of camera and radar technology to measure heart rate, breathing, and movement without touching the baby. By combining these signals with advanced data analysis, this approach aims to provide accurate, continuous monitoring even in complex hospital environments. In parallel, my work includes building a platform that can integrate data from multiple bedside devices to help clinicians detect early signs of illness, such as infection or breathing problems. Together, this research aims to create a safer, more comfortable, and more intelligent monitoring environment for newborns, with the potential to be adapted for use across the lifespan in a variety of clinical settings.
2025-2027 K12 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Seda Babroudi, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephology, Tufts Medical Center
MyDzung Chu, PhD, MSPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine; Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center
Rachel Criswell, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine and Family Medicine Physician, Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Maine
Kap Sum Foong, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center
Ryan Kilpatrick, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Tufts Medical Center
2024 K12 Career Development Award Program Scholar
Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Tufts Medical Center
2023-2026 K12 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Physician Investigator in the MaineHealth Department of Pediatrics
Attending Physician, Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
Assistant Medical Director, Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tufts Medical Center
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine & Department of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Tufts University School of Medicine
2023-2025 K12 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Assistant Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development
Aston K. McCullough, PhD, MS, MA
Assistant Professor, Northeastern University
Investigator; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
2022-2024 KL2 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Andres Ardisson Korat, ScD
Scientist II, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA)
Caroline Hsu, MD, MS
Neprologist, Tufts Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Sushrut Jangi, MD
Gastroenterologist, Tufts Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
2021-2023 KL2 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Wendy McCallum, MD, MS
Research Fellow, Nephrology, Tufts Medical Center
Eric Anderson, PhD
Faculty Scientist I, Maine Medical Center; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
2020-2022 KL2 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Shanthini Kasturi, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
Jana Leary, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
Maya Nadimpalli, MS, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Engineering
Angie Mae Rodday, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center
Marieke Rosenbaum, DVM, MPH, MS, Research Assistant Professor, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
2018-2020 KL2 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Adolfo Cuevas, PhD, Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences
Shanthini Kasturi, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Tufts Medical Center, Rheumatology
Elizabeth (Lila) Peacock-Chambers, MD, MS, Baystate Medical Center, Pediatrics
Angie Mae Rodday, PhD, MS, Assistant Professor, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center
Alysse Wurcel, MD, MS, Tufts Medical Center, Infectious Disease
2016-2018 KL2 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Alexa Craig, MD, Assistant Professor, Maine Medical Center
Keren Ladin, PhD, MSc, Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences
Teresa May, DO, Assistant Professor, Maine Medical Center
2014-2016 KL2 Career Development Award Program Scholars
Robert Blanton, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts Molecular Cardiology Research Institute
Deborah Linder, DVM, DACVN, Research Assistant Professor, Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Quinn R. Pack, MD, MSc, Medical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Baystate Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine