Department Research News Archive
Congratulations to Dr. Theresa Lii on her IMRA award!
August, 2024
We are excited to announce that Theresa Lii, MD, MS, a Postdoctoral Fellow in our Department, has received the IARS Mentored Research Award (IMRA) for her project titled: “Propofol-Enhanced Blinding to Test Psychedelics with Analgesic Potential.” This innovative research aims to address participant unblinding in trials of psychedelic drugs by using propofol to obscure their subjective effects.
Congratulations, Dr. Lii, on this well-deserved recognition!
Dr. Ansari receives NIH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award
August, 2024
Dr. Jess Ansari has received an NIH K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award for her project, “Oxytocin-mediated calcium signaling in physiologic uterine contractility and uterine atony.” This research aims to uncover the mechanisms of uterine contractions in response to oxytocin and the role of the TRPV4 channel. By investigating these processes, Dr. Ansari hopes to develop targeted treatments to improve maternal outcomes and address postpartum hemorrhage.
Congratulations to Dr. Ansari!
Drs. Simons, Rabbits and Aghaeepour Receive T90/R90 Award
August, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Drs. Simons, Rabbitts, and Aghaeepour have been awarded the NIH HEAL Initiative T90/R90 grant for their program, “Interdisciplinary Research Training in Maternal and Childhood Pain and Bioinformatics.” This grant will support training for a diverse group of trainees in clinical pain research, enhancing our department’s commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and health equity.
Congratulations to All!
Dr. Boris Heifets' Psychedelic Research Spotlighted in Scientific American
July, 2024
Dive deep into Dr. Heifets' featured study in Scientific American, where he challenges the traditional views on psychedelic experiences. Explore the fascinating interplay between biochemistry and perception as he investigates the transformative impact of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and ketamine. Discover the complexities beyond mere biochemical reactions, shedding light on the profound effects these substances have on the mind and brain.
Dr. Mudumbai Secures Wellcome Leap Award
March, 2024
Dr. Mudumbai's proposal, "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Multi-Omic Data to Predict Opioid Addiction," has been accepted by the Wellcome Leap program, echoing DARPA's innovation-driven projects. Their project aims to develop advanced predictive models to assess the risk of opioid use disorder integrating AI with EHR, genomic, and microbiomic data. The overarching goal is to inform better clinical decision-making and resource allocation from the start of opioid prescribing, especially for high-risk groups like veterans.
Congratulations to Dr. Mudumbai!
Dr. Anderson Awarded an R18 Proposal
December, 2023
This new R18 proposal funded by NIBIB will study focused ultrasound to treat acute pain by blocking peripheral nerves. The team will determine parameters for noninvasive focused ultrasound-induced peripheral nerve blockade and develop a focused ultrasound prototype device for use in humans.
Congratulations to Dr. Anderson!
Dr. Aghaeepour Receives an R01 Award
November, 2023
Dr. Aghaeepour has received a Notice of Award (NOA) for their latest R01 project titled:
- 'Multiomics and Artificial Intelligence for Predictive Models and Biomarker Discovery in Preterm Infants.'
This project is a collaborative effort, with Nima Aghaeepour serving as a key co-principal Investigator (MPI), alongside Mohan Pammi from Texas Children's as the Principal Investigator.
Congratulations to Dr. Aghaeepour!
Anesthesia Team, led by Dr. Simons, Receives NIH Funding to Validate a Signature of Pain Persistence or Recovery
November, 2023
The discovery of robust markers of the recovery vs. persistence of pain and disability is essential to develop more resourceful and patient-specific treatment strategies and to conceive novel approaches that benefit refractory patients. Given that chronic pain is a biopsychosocial process, the discovery, and validation of a prognostic and robust signature for pain recovery vs. persistence requires measurements across multiple dimensions in the same patient cohort in combination with a suitable ‘big data’ computational analysis pipeline for the extraction of reliable and cross-validated results from a multilayered and complex dataset. The SPRINT (Signature of Pain Recovery in Teens) brings together a team of scientists and clinicians from Stanford University (Nima Aghaeepour, Martin Angst, Brice Gaudilliere, Laura Simons), University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Children, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. With an initial signature derived in the discovery (R61) phase that implicated neuroimaging, immune, quantitative sensory, and psychological markers using machine learning approaches from our large and complex data set, we now launch into the R33/Validation Phase to validate the signature derived in the R61 study. This signature will be useful for a range of adolescent-based clinical trials in which identification of the highest risk individuals is necessary hopefully providing a clinically actionable intervention algorithm.
Researchers Boris Heifets, MD, PhD & Theresa Lii featured in Stanford Medicine News
October, 2023
In the Stanford Medicine article, they dive into a new study that discusses a clever workaround to hide the psychedelic — or dissociative — properties of the anesthetic first developed in 1962. They recruited 40 participants with moderate to severe depression who were also scheduled for routine surgery, and then administered a dose of ketamine or placebo when the participants were in surgery and under general anesthesia.
Dr. Martin Angst Receives Notice of Award from the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience
September, 2023
Martin Angst, principal investigator, and Igor Feinstein, project director, have just received the Notice of Award from the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, which is governed by the Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute. This is a significant milestone in their mission to explore the resilience of the human brain. The pioneering endeavor, titled "Biological Determinants of Brain Resilience in Cardiac Surgery," seeks to unravel the enigmatic biology that underpins our enduring strength and vulnerability when confronted with a typical health hazard.
2023 Early Research Grants Awardees
August, 2023
We are thrilled to announce the recipients of the Early Research Grants for 2023. The Early Research Grants awardees are:
- Jessica Brodt
- Brice Gaudilliere
- Eric Gross
- Kazuo Ando
These grants are designed to support pilot research initiatives and foster collaboration among researchers within the department.
Dr. Jennifer Hah Receives NOA for Nida-Sponsored Grant
August, 2023
Dr. Jennifer Hah has received an R01 grant for her project titled "Integrating Tailored Postoperative Opioid Tapering and Pain Management Support for Patients on Long-Term Opioid Use Presenting for Spine Surgery (MIRHIQL)." This prestigious grant, sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) through the HEAL Research Program, marks a significant step forward in advancing personalized pain management strategies. Congratulations Dr. Hah!
Dr. Pervez Sultan Receives R01 Award from NHLBI
August, 2023
Dr. Pervez Sultan has received an R01 grant award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for his project titled "Development and validation of a PROMIS-based measure to assess postpartum sleep."
Congratulations Dr. Sultan!
Dr. Creed Stary publishes ground breaking paper in Science Journal
July, 2023
Post-doctoral scholar Anqi Zhang and Lijun Xu, working together in the laboratory of Dr. Creed Stary and in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, this month published in the journal Science a brain-surgery–free method to probe neural function in the rat brain.
Dr. QiLiang Chen awarded FAER Mentored Research Training Grant
June, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. QiLiang Chen on receiving the prestigious FAER Mentored Research Training Grant. This grant provides invaluable support to physician-investigators like Dr. Chen, enabling them to develop essential skills, gather preliminary data for future grant applications, and publish their research findings.
Dr. David Drover was awarded a recent CDMRP (DoD) grant
June, 2023
This grant comes out of Dr. Drover's Biodesign project. Title: “A Biomimetic Tip-Growing, Self-Deploying Intubation Device for Safer, More Effective Airway Management in Austere, Far-Forward Environments” On the battlefield, studies show that the current paradigm of airway access is not sufficient; airway mismanagement is the second leading cause of preventable death, despite it being one of the most common procedures in military emergency departments.
Dr. Jessica Ansari Wins Best Research Paper Competition at SOAP
May, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. Jessica Ansari, MD, for her outstanding achievement in winning the Best Research Paper Competition at the esteemed SOAP (Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology) conference. Her remarkable dedication and exceptional research have been recognized by experts in the field, further highlighting her expertise and contribution to the advancement of obstetric anesthesia and perinatology.
Dr. Sun Featured in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
May, 2023
Dr. Sun recently was featured in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, with an insightful article titled "Harnessing big data to change the future of anesthesiology." In the article, Dr. Sun shared her perspective on the potential of AI in integrating diverse data sources to create personalized digital signatures.
Aghaeepour Lab featured on the cover of Science Advances
May, 2023
We are pleased to announce that an article authored by the Aghaeepour Laboratory has been prominently featured on the cover of Science Advances. The article, titled "Multiomic Signals Associated with Maternal Epidemiological Factors Contributing to Preterm Birth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries," presents groundbreaking research in the field of maternal health.
Dr. Ken Weber Awarded an NIH NINDS R01 award
May, 2023
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Ken Weber in being awarded an NIH NINDS R01 award entitled: “MRI-Derived Neuromuscular Signatures to Predict Surgical Response in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy."
Congratulations, Dr. Weber!
Louise Sun featured on ScienceFriday
April, 2023
We are thrilled to announce that our very own Louise Sun was featured on ScienceFriday, the nationally syndicated NPR show! In her interview, Louise discusses the topic of "All You Need to Know About Anesthesia.We are immensely proud of Louise's accomplishments and her dedication to advancing the field of anesthesiology. Her interview was broadcasted on KQED, this Monday. Congratulations, Dr. Sun!
Stanford Takes Home Three Awards
April, 2023
Eleven Stanford residents represented our department taking home 3 awards at the 2023 Western Anesthesia Resident Conference (WARC); hosted by Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Congratulations to all!
- 3rd place poster presentation: Jessica Dawson
- Best Neuroanesthesia presentation: Lovemore Makusha
- Best Acute Pain & Regional Anesthesia presentation: Dae Ik Yi
Danton Char Secures Subcontract for NIH-Funded Project
March, 2023
Danton Char, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine (Pediatric)has been awarded a subcontract from Johns Hopkins University for an NIH funded project entitled:
“Autonomous AI to mitigate disparities for diabetic retinopathy screening in youth during and after COVID-19.”
Congratulations Dr. Char!
National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke (NINDS) F32 Award Recipient
March, 2023
Congratulations to Dr. Amy Nippert, PHD, who was awarded a postdoctoral F32 award to pursue research on the contribution of astrocytes to the transition from acute to chronic pain. In addition, she has also been honored with the Wu Tsai Interdisciplinary Scholar Award.
RO1 Grant Awarded to Boris Heifets to study psychedelics
March, 2023
Dr. Boris Heifets, MD, PhD, just received an R01 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for a grant entitled: "Mapping Neural Circuit Activity Mediating MDMA's Prosocial Effect”. His work was also recently featured in Stanford Magazine.
Article Featured on the Cover of Science Translational Medicine
February, 2023
We're excited to share that an article by the Aghaeepour Laboratory, in collaboration with Martin Angst, Brian Bateman, Brendan Carvalho, and Brice Gaudilliere, has been featured on the cover of the latest issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Swiss National Science Foundation Grant Award Recipient
February, 2023
Congratulations Dr. Dario Pfyffer! This award will help support some outstanding work understanding CNS mechanisms of movement induced pain in patients with fibromyalgia.
Molecular Pharmacology Early Career Scientist Abstract Award Recipient
February, 2023
Gross lab instructor, Freeborn Rwere, PhD, has been selected for the 2023 Molecular Pharmacology Early Career Scientist Abstract Award! Congratulations Dr. Rwere on being selected for this prestigious award.
Stanford Researchers Discover Possible New Way to Reduce Pain
February, 2023
A recent research project, conducted by the Gross and Stary labs with contributions from the Svensson lab at Stanford, has made it to the front page of the Stanford Medicine website.