Dr. Lindsay Kohler Recognized with Health Sciences Career Development Award
The University of Arizona Health Sciences Career Development Awards (CDA) program recently selected Lindsay Kohler, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of practice in health promotion sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, as one of four recipients in its latest round of awards.
Dr. Kohler’s research interests focus on diabetes pathophysiology and the diabetic complication of kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease affects 14.8% of Americans, and comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity, disproportionately affect the Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S. Southwest. Her project will test the hypothesis that lifestyle factors play an integral component in glycemic control, and will leverage the rich data and biosamples housed by the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center for Disparities in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Biobank.
Lindsay Kohler, PhD, MPH
“Lindsay has devised a very creative project to understand whether underserved Latino patients with poorly controlled diabetes and low glomerular filtration rates are complying with nutritional guidelines designed to prevent or delay progression to diabetic kidney disease. This will provide a much-needed culturally and linguistically appropriate tool to help clinicians and patients,” said Dr. Kohler’s primary mentor, Lawrence J. Mandarino, PhD, chief of the Division of Endocrinology and director of the Health Sciences Center for Disparities in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. “Dr. Kohler is a delight to work with and will bring a fresh perspective to our efforts.”
The CDA program was established by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences in 2014 to provide research training and funding for junior faculty members, and foster academic careers in clinical and translational research. Selected scholars are provided with mentorship, research training and salary support, plus funding for travel and research supplies.
The CDA scholars must complete an independent research project, which is expected to generate sufficient pilot findings to enable the submission of an NIH K-series or R01 grant (or equivalent) by the second year of the program. Each scholar also must choose a lead mentor, or mentors if the project is multidisciplinary.
Watch this space in the coming weeks to learn about the other junior faculty members who were selected for this latest round of awards:
- Darren Cusanovich, PhD, research assistant professor of cellular and molecular medicine, College of Medicine – Tucson;
- Salma Patel, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, College of Medicine – Tucson;
- Nahla Zaghloul, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, College of Medicine – Tucson.