On behalf of the American Pancreatic Association and the National Pancreas Foundation, we are pleased to announce the successful 2018 inaugural cycle of the joint $200,000 grant program in pancreatitis. This grant program was launched because it has become alarmingly clear that the number of young investigators with research interests in pancreatitis has diminished, despite the fact that acute pancreatitis has become one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal disease related hospitalizations. For this cycle, we received 17 excellent applications with novel ideas. A ten-member review panel (chaired by Dr. Miklos Sahin-Toth, MD, PhD, professor at Boston University) appointed by the APA Governing Board evaluated the proposals. Based on the unanimous recommendation of the review panel, the APA and NPF Boards have selected Dr. Subhankar Dolai as the inaugural recipient of this award. Dr. Dolai is a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Herbert Gaisano’s laboratory at the University of Toronto. With this two-year grant, Dr. Dolai will be studying the role of SNARE proteins in alcoholic pancreatitis, which is one of the most common types of pancreatitis. We are excited that this newly explored research area will yield promising results that will lead to better treatments for those suffering from alcoholic pancreatitis.
For more information about the National Pancreas Foundation, please visit www.pancreasfoundation.org.
