Researchers

Newly Funded Project Awards

2024 Research Project Awards
Last	First	Institution	Title of Project
Goropashnaya	Anna	UAF	Skeletal Muscles During Hibernation as a Pathway to Ischemia-reperfusion Injury Protection
Toien	Oivind	UAF	Cardiovascular Autonomic Control and Blood Pressure in the Hypometabolic State of Human-Sized Hibernator
Barth	Brian	UAS	GDF1 Regulation of Sphingolipid Metabolism in AML
2024 Pilot Project Awards
Madeira	Anjali	SCF	Demonstrating the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Outpatient Cervical Ripening for Alaska Native and American Indian People
O’Brien	Kristin	UAF	Mitochondrial Suppression in a Human-sized Hibernator

Active MY Pilot Awards
First	Last	Institution	Title of Project
Connie	Jessen	ANTHC	Exploring psychosocial, behavioral and biomedical factors associated with reproductive and gynecological health among Alaska Native women
Zachary	Redman	UAA	Toxicokinetic investigation of weathered microplastics and their metabolomic impacts in Bay mussels
Parisa	Lofti	UAA	Enhancement of Lysosomal Function and Autophagy Affects Aging and Neurogenesis in Adult Brain
Benjamin	Barst	UAF	Characterizing the Bioaccessibility of Methylmercury and Selenium from Alaskan Fish and Marine Mammals
Fried	Ruby	UAA	Developing a community-determined model of AN healthy living & food security
Lessard	Lauren	UAA	“My Best Alaskan Life” An Enhanced Approach to Addressing Adolescents and Young Adults’ Mental and Sexual Health in Alaska

Administrative Supplement Awards
First	Last	Institution	Title of Project
Jaedon	Avey	SCF	Engaging Stakeholders to Implement Predictive Algorithms for Suicide in an Alaska Native Health System
Jennifer	Shaw	SCF
Matthew	Wooller	UAF	Application of Dietary Biomarker Analyses of Dried Blood Spots from University Students to Assess Diet in the Context of Wellbeing
Sara	Buckingham	UAA
Holly	Martinson	UAA	Enhancing Mucin-1 Cancer Vaccine with Myeloid Targeted Antigen Delivery
Eric	Bortz	UAA	Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Alaska
Devin	Drown	UAF
Jiguo (Jack)	Chen	UAF
Eric	Bortz	UAA	SARS-CoV-2 in Alaska Year 2
Devin	Drown	UAF
Jiguo (Jack)	Chen	UAF
Patrick	Tomco	UAA	ICP-MS: Acquisition of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer
Katie	Cueva	UAA	Engaging College Students in Culturally Relevant Cancer Prevention and Control
Jennifer	Schmidt	UAA
Lauren	Lessard	UAA	My Best Alaskan Life: Community Based Research with Adolescents to Address Sexual and Reproductive Health
Devin	Drown	UAF	COVID-19 Transmission in Alaska: Geographic and Genomic Modeling
John	Rhodes	UAF
Patrick	Tomco	UAA	NWR213 laser ablation (LA) system, cryostat, and an automated sample purification system
Lisa	Schwarzburg	UAA	Gathering, Learning & Initiating: Setting the Stage for Community-engagement in Women's Health in SW Alaska

Institution

Title

Muscarella

UAF

Microbial Mercury Cycling in a Changing Alaska: Influence of Permafrost Thaw & Wildfire

Weltzin

UAF

Developing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype selective

peptides derived from the rabies virus

Shaw

SCF

Shifting from Response to Prevention: the Role of Vitamin D in Postpartum Hemorrhage among Alaska Native Women

Roik

ANTHC

Epidemiology of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in an Alaska

Native/American Indian Pediatric Population

Investigator	Institution	Project Title
Lauren Lessard	UAA	Youth-Centered Reproductive Life Plan: Community-based Research with Adolescents to Address Mental and Reproductive Health in Alaska
Benjamin Barst	UAF	Characterizing the bioaccessibility of methylmercury from Alaskan marine and freshwater fish species
Cornelia Jessen	ANTHC	Integrating Culturally-based Strengths to Address Gynecological Disparities Among Alaska Native/American Indian Women
Amanda Kelley	UAF	Preparing to investigate the physiological impacts of climate stressors on Pink Salmon

Investigator	Institution	Project Title
Kristin Gorman	UAF	Effects of energetic state and infectious agents on migration by Sockeye Salmon
Micah Hahn	UAA	Understanding the risk of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Alaska
Kristin O'Brien	UAF	Effects of polyglutamine and glutamic acid repeats on HIF-1 function
Ryan Oliver	UAF	Skeletal muscle thermogenesis by sarcolipinuncoupling in ground squirrels
Patrick Tomco	UAA	Cold-region environmental behavior of rotenone and applications to exposure prevention
Maegan Weltzin	UAF	Pharmacology and function of nicotinic receptors altered by an epilepsy mutation
Cory Williams	UAF	Effects of Photoperiod and Dopamine Disruption on Sleep and Mass Gain
Matthew Wooller	UAF	Dried blood spots as a tool for diet and trace element exposure assessment

Investigator	Institution	Project Title
Rei Shimizu	UAA	CBPR with Young Adults in Mountain View: Building Nourished Healthy Communities
Ashley O'Connor	UAA	Evaluating the Impact of a Humane Education Program with a Therapy Dog on Military Children’s Social-Emotional Well-Being and Attitudes Towards Animals

Investigator	Institution	Project Title
Holly Martinson	UAA	Enhancing Mucin-1 cancer vaccine with complement targeted nanoparticles
Rachael Hannah	UAA	K+ channel modulation of cerebrovascular reactivity in the anoxia-tolerant turtle Trachemys scripta