CTSI is pleased to welcome Glenn E. Simmons Jr., PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth campus to its Pre-K Discovery Scholars Program beginning July 1.
Simmons studies the role of biology in health disparities across the United States and works with groups nationally to improve health outcomes and research participation of underrepresented and underserved populations. His lab focuses on the role that lipids play in the regulation of inflammatory processes in the tumor microenvironment.
Simmons’s pilot project will study the “Development of a novel lung cancer screening assay for high-risk patient populations”, and he will be mentored by Peter Bitterman, MD, Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Division of the Department of Medicine, and Ashley Petersen, PhD, Division of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health.
The Pre-K Discovery Scholars Program provides assistant professors from populations who are underrepresented in health sciences research with salaried appointments, mentorship, oversight, and up to $50,000 in pilot funding over two years and aims to place junior investigators on the path to becoming competitive for NIH K awards.
Simmons is CTSI’s first Scholar from the Duluth Campus to join one of its junior faculty research career development programs, which are managed by CTSI’s Research Education, Training, and Career Development team along with programs throughout the full career development pipeline. Congratulations Dr. Simmons!
Another RFA for the Pre-K program is planned for release in Fall 2019.