Honors and Grants

Phyllis Dennery, Pediatrics, co-chaired the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report on “Strategies to Enhance Pediatric Health Research Funded by NIH.” She was also a speaker at the January TEDx New River event.

John Donoghue, a professor of neuroscience and engineering and the founding director of the Brown Institute for Brain Science, was named a winner of the 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. The award recognizes his pioneering work in the development of brain-computer interfaces — systems that can restore voluntary movement in people affected by paralysis.

Chelsie E. Benca-Bachman, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, received $42,467 for “Identifying Drug Repurposing Targets for Veteran Suicide,” a subaward through the VA Bedford Healthcare System.

Sergej Djuranovic, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology and Biochemistry (MCB), received $139,812 for “Highly Parallel Analysis of 5' and 3' UTR Variants in Neurodevelopmental Disorders” a subaward through Washington University in Saint Louis from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He also received $78,894 for “Overcoming Genome Instability in BRCA1 Mutant Carriers by Increasing BRCA1 mRNA Translation” through Washington University in Saint Louis from the American Cancer Society.

Nicolas L. Fawzi, MCB, received $75,000 for “Designing new ALS therapies preventing conversion of functional to aggregated TDP-43” from Johns Hopkins University. 

Zachary J. Kunicki, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, received $27,160 for “Validation and evaluation of the Manly-Jones algorithm using the Aging Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS), through the Regents of the University of Michigan from the National Institute on Aging.

Jonathan D. Kurtis, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, received $137,502 for “An RCT to Evaluate Different Treatment Approaches to Mitigate the Progression of Schistosomiasis Related Hepatic Fibrosis,” a subaward through Rhode Island Hospital from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He also received $1,031,963 for “Translational Approaches for Pathogens of Human Significance - Administrative Core” from Rhode Island Hospital through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Ruben G. Martinez, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, received $14,883 for “ONWARD: Optimizing Navigation for Wellness And Resource utilization in youth with prediabetes and type 2 Diabetes,” a subaward through the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Kate O'Connor-Giles, Neuroscience, received $2,227,968 for “Function of ALKBH8 and tRNA modification in the nervous system” from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

M. Tracie Shea, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, received  $71,496 for “MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Veterans with PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial” from the Providence VA Medical Center.

Louisa I. Thompson and Rich N. Jones, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, received $757,360 for “THE NIH PRECISION BRAIN HEALTH NETWORK: Open and Inclusive Measurement of Neuropsychological Change for AD/ADRD Primary Prevention Trials,” a subaward through Pennsylvania State University from the National Institute on Aging. 

Edward Wilson, Neuroscience, received $21,210 for “Metformin in Alzheimer’s dementia Prevention (MAP),” a subaward through Columbia University from the National Institute on Aging.