Lupus Foundation of America Awards Grants to Six Young Scientists Contributing to Lupus Research

The Lupus Foundation of America is pleased to announce six recipients of the 2024 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program. This fellowship pairs undergraduate, graduate, and medical students with experienced mentors to guide them in their lupus research efforts. The goal of the program is to cultivate interest in lupus research amongst young scientists, ultimately growing the next generation of lupus experts. The 2024 Finzi Fellowship Awardees will focus on important areas of lupus research including lupus nephritis, environmental factors affecting gene expression, approaches to improving physical activity in lupus, brain injury in childhood lupus, and adoption of natural antifungal immunity in the kidney for the development of lupus nephritis and antifungal therapies.

"The Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program reinforces to the student the importance of their work in understanding lupus and how this impacts care of patients with this disease," shared Joseph Craft, MD, Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine and Professor of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine and 2024 Finzi Grantee Mentor. "It also strengthens the student's commitment to pursuing a career in care and treatment of patients, and investigating cause and treatments for lupus."

Throughout the program, Finzi grantees are mentored by an experienced lupus researcher who is dedicated to their work and growth as a scientist. This mentorship component is crucial to the program as it helps ensure young scientists receive support and counsel as they chart their own path in lupus research.

The Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program, established in 1984, was created to honor Gina M. Finzi, the late daughter of former Lupus Foundation of America President Sergio Finzi, PhD. Former grantees have gone on to become distinguished lupus experts, leading novel and innovative lupus research.

"The only way to ensure breakthroughs in lupus treatment and care is to invest in the next generation of promising scientists," shared Joy Buie, Ph.D, MSCR, RN, Vice President of Research at Lupus Foundation of America. "The Lupus Foundation of America's Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Fellowship Program highlights our commitment to nurturing those that will transform the future of lupus research. The program doesn't just stop at funding the research of these young scientists, but also invests in their development and personal goals."

The grantees' study will contribute to a variety of crucial areas within lupus research:

Jafar Al Souz

Yale School of Medicine

Project Title: Lymphoid and Kidney-infiltrating CD8 T Cells in Lupus Nephritis

Mentor: Joseph Craft, MD

Kierra Franklin

Emory University & Georgia Tech Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering

Project Title: Determining the Impact of MeCP2/DNMT1 Imbalance in Epigenetic Dysregulation Mentor: Karmella Haynes, PhD

Chun-Chen Lin

The Regents of the University of Michigan

Project Title: Improving Measurement and Identifying Predictors of Activity and Function

Mentor: Dominique Kinnett-Hopkins, PhD

Alberto Nordmann-Gomes

Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán

Project Title: Lupus Nephritis Guidelines: Evidence Gaps and Underrepresented Groups

Mentor: Juan M. Mejia-Vilet, MD, MSc, PhD

Ganesh Ramanathan

Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Project Title: Brain Injury and Inflammation in Childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Mentor: Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE

Andrew Van Horn

Oregon Health & Science University

Project Title: Defining the Role of NOD2 in Autoimmunity and Renal Candida Resistance

Mentor: Ruth Napier, PhD

Learn more about the 2024 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship recipients, here.

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