Dr. Asmaa AbuMaziad Earns Career Development Award

May 23, 2022

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Career Development Awards (CDA) program recently selected Asmaa AbuMaziad, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the College of Medicine – Tucson, as one of its four 2022 recipients.

Asmaa AbuMaziad, MD

Asmaa AbuMaziad, MD

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.

“I am excited and honored to receive the UArizona Health Sciences Career Development Award, which provides me with time, skills and mentors to develop my research program,” said Dr. AbuMaziad.”

Dr. AbuMaziad received a CDA for her research on glomerular kidney diseases, one of the most common causes of kidney failure in children and adults, with a focus on podocyte biology and injury. “I am interested in studying podocyte injury by modeling human glomerular diseases using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to develop a 3D kidney organoid system,” said Dr. AbuMaziad. “This unique approach may yield new insights into the mechanisms of podocyte injury and future podocyte targeted therapies.”

“Dr. AbuMaziad is taking the next step in a cutting-edge investigation to unravel the underlying causes of kidney disease,” said her mentor, Jason Wertheim, MD, PhD, vice dean, research and graduate studies, and associate professor in the Department of Surgery. “She is an outstanding junior faculty member who is lending her expertise to international consortia and developing strong collaborations that will advance her research as part of this prestigious award.”

“I am excited to join Dr. Wertheim’s unique research group,” said Dr. AbuMaziad. “Dr. Wertheim is encouraging, supportive and caring. He gives his team a perfect balance between independence and guidance.”

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 early-career faculty members and foster academic careers in clinical and translational research. Each year, the four recipients of the two-year award receive 75% protected time for research, plus salary support and funding for research-related activities and travel.

Other recipients of the 2022 CDA are: