SCA JOYCE WAHR STARTER GRANTS ONLY!
Submit Your Letter of Intent NOW!
Deadline: September 17, 2026
Highlights:
- Optional Joyce Wahr Starter Grant LOIs: August 17–September 17
- Full applications open: October 19
- Full applications close: December 3
Dear SCA Members,
We are pleased to announce that the submission period for research grant letters of intent (LOIs – Optional) is NOW open.
The goal of this process is to match applicants with a “Grant Development Mentor” with SCA research grant and/or topic area expertise. Triage is not a goal of this process, but the Research Committee will screen LOIs to identify any projects/PIs that do not align with eligibility requirements and priority project types for this funding mechanism.
Applicants will be invited to submit a full application for the 2027 Research Grants unless otherwise notified that the project is not eligible for the funding mechanism or would be incompatible.
Please note – this process is optional
The letter of intent should include:
- Research Grants Title Page – Click Here
- Letter of Intent (1-2 pages)
- Description of the proposed project
- Description of the roles of the key personnel
- Importance of this project for the investigator and future funding/career goals
- A statement that the PI’s intent to submit has been discussed with the mentor, department chair, and applicable grants office/staff.
- A statement as to whether or not the applicant is interested in being matched with a “Proposal Development Advisor”
- Biosketch (NIH Format) of the Applicant and Mentor
Award Details:
- Letter of intent deadline: September 17, 2026
- Full grant application submission period opens: October 19, 2026
- Grant application submission closes: December 3, 2026
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR LETTER OF INTENT
Click Here for the 2027 Research Grant Full Instructions
For questions, please contact Dr. Anne Cherry at [email protected] or Denise Herdrich at [email protected]
Awardees
2026 Research Grant Winners
Grant Type | Awardee | Title and Institution
| Research Study Title |
Mid-Career | Lisa Rong, MD, MSCE | Associate Professor | Pulmonary Artery Catheters vs. Central Lines in Adults Undergoing Low- and Intermediate- Risk Cardiac Surgery (PUMA): Optimize |
Joyce Wahr Starter | Luai Zakaria, MD | Assistant Professor | Precision-guided treatment of vasoplegia after cardiac surgery |
Joyce Wahr Starter | Melissa Hector-Greene, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor | Deciphering immune mechanisms in heart failure caused by Lamin A mutations |
Joyce Wahr Starter | Jason Batten, MD, MA | Clinical Instructor | Understanding Default High-Intensity Treatment in Adult ECMO Centers: Finding Opportunities for Goal-Concordant Care |
In-Training | Chelsea Messinger, MD, PhD | Resident in Anesthesia | A Bayesian Framework to Improve Trial Efficiency for Extubation After Cardiac Surgery |
2025 Research Grant Winners
Grant Type | Awardee | Title and Institution
| Research Study Title |
Mid-Career | Zoel Quinonez, MD, MPH | Clinical Associate Professor Stanford University | Predicting prolonged hospitalization after congenital heart surgery using Medicaid administrative claims and machine learning |
Joyce Wahr Starter | Megan Hicks, MD | Assistant Professor Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist | Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass |
Joyce Wahr Starter | Anastasia Katsiampoura, MD, PhD | Instructor Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Elucidating Anti-inflammatory Roles of CD39 and T regulatory cells with Cardiopulmonary Bypass |
In-Training | Kitae Chang, MD, MS | Fellow Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Adjustable Bioadhesive Ultrasound (ABAUS) for Continuous Monitoring of Impella LVAD Patients in the ICU |
2024 Research Grant Winners
Grant Type | Awardee | Title and Institution
| Research Study Title |
Mid-Career | Nadia Hensley, MD
| Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Acute Normovolemic Hemodilution: A Prospective, Observational Study of the Volume Effect on Transfusions, Coagulation Mechanisms, and Safety Outcomes |
Starter | Mark Robitaille, MD | Instructor Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Impaired liver-heart cross talk in metabolic syndrome leading to cardiac dysfunction: the role of FGF-21 |
In-Training | Sungsoo (Danny) Kim, MD, MS, PhD candidate | PGY-3 (CA-2 of Anesthesia Resident) University of California – Los Angeles | Intraoperative Deep Learning model for Imputation of the continuous Central Venous Pressure (CVP) and Pulmonary Arterial Pressure (PAP) waveforms from minimally invasive |
In-Training | Serena Dasani, MD, MBA | Fellow Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Quantifying the Cost of Rescue Transesophageal Echocardiogram: An Emergency Diagnostic Provided by Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists |
In-Training | Megan Rolfzen, MD | Resident University of Nebraska Medical Center | Association of Mental Illness and Rurality with Adverse Outcomes in Cardiothoracic Surgery |
2023 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| Mid-Career | Lee Goeddel, MD, MPH | Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD | Hemodynamic Profiles of Cardiovascular Dysfunction and Risk of Cardiac Surgery Associated Kidney Injury in Patients with Preserved Ejection Fraction |
| Starter/Diversity | Terri Sun, MD | Clinical Assistant Professor University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada | Bilateral Paravertebral Blockade for Improvement of Quality of Recovery Following Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Starter/Diversity | Tiffany Williams, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor University of California – UCLA Los Angeles, CA | Machine Learning of Physiological Waveforms and Electronic Health Record Data: Towards Predicting Hemodynamic Instability in Adult Congenital Heart Disease Surgical Patients |
| In-Training | Luai Zakaria, MD | Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH | Morbidity and Mortality after High-Dose Hydroxocobalamin for Refractory Vasoplegia: A Retrospective Propensity Score Analysis of Safety and Efficacy |
2022 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Yafen Liang, MD | Associate Professor McGovern Medical School, UT Health Science Center Houston, TX | Prevention of Post-Cardiac Surgery Acute Kidney Injury by Proton Pump Inhibitor: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Meghan Prin, MD, MS | Assistant Professor University of Colorado School of Medicine Denver, CO | Circadian Movements and Delirium in Older Cardiac Surgery ICU Patients |
| SCA/IARS Diversty & Inclusion | Kofi Vandyck, MD | Assistant Professor University of Oklahoma Health Science Oklahoma City, OK | Optimization of Platelet function Testing In Cardiopulmonary bypass (OPTIC): A Comparison Between Thrombelastography-Platelet Mapping and Total Thrombus-formation Analysis System (T-TAS) |
2021 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Alina Nicoara, MD | Associate Professor Duke University Durham, NC | Right Ventricle Adaptive Changes in Patients Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Sergey Karamnov, MD | Instructor Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, MA | Combined Clinical-Epidemiological Risk Score for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation after Cardiac Surgery: A Multi-Institutional Study |
| SCA/IARS Diversty & Inclusion | Elena Ashikhmina, MD, PhD | Assistant Professor Mayo Medical Center Rochester, MN | Activated Prothrombin Complex Concentrate FEIBA to Optimize Postcardiopulmonary Bypass Hemostasis in Pediatric Cardiac Patients |
| SCA MiCoR | Marta Kelava, MD, MS | Clinical Assistant Professor CCLCM/CWRU Cleveland Clinic Cleveland, OH | The Effect of Continuous Low Tidal Volume Ventilation and Hyperoxia Avoidance During Cardiopulmonary Bypass |
2020 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Michael Mazzeffi, MD | Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland | Von Willebrand Factor Concentrate for Treatment of Acquired Von Willebrand Syndrome During ECMO: An in vitro Dose Finding and Efficacy Study |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Matthew Barajas, MD | Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, Tennessee | Altered Efficacy of Ischemic Post Conditioning after Cardiac Arrest in a Diabetic Rat Model |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Isaac Wu, MD | Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center New York, New York | Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair and Right Ventricular Function: Analysis Based Upon Intraoperative Pressure-Volume Relationships |
2019 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Jessica Brodt, MD | Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, CA | Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery with Erector Spinae Plane Catheters: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Nathan Clendenen, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO | Hemostasis After Cardiac Surgery and the Effect of Whole Blood Transfusion |
2018 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Jochen Steppan, MD DESA | Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland | The Role of LOXL2 in Pulmonary Hypertension |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Erik Strauss, MD | Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine, College Park, Maryland | Assessment of Tranexamic acid and e-Aminocaproic acid Pharmacokinetics and therapeutic Effectiveness during cardiopulmonary bypass (TAPE) |
2017 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Viachaslau Barodka, MD | Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD | Prevention of Cardiac Surgery Associated Acute Kidney Injusry by a Goal-Directed Perfusion Protocol: Pilot Single Center Randomized Controlled Trial |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Eckhard Mauermann, MD | Research Fellow, Cardiac Anesthesia University Hospital of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium | 3D Echocardiography-Derived Pressure-Volume Loops for Assessing Right Ventricular Performance. A Feasibility Study With Broad Clinical Implications |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Louis Saddic, MD PhD | Fellow University of California, Los Angeles, CA | Remote Genetic Remodeling of the Cardiac Nervous System Following Myocardial Ischemia and the Attenuation of These Changes With Spinal Cord Stimulation |
2016 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Srdjan Jelacic, MD | University of Washington, Seattle, WA | The Use of Routine Video Surveillance of the Entire Operating Room to Identify Specific Hazards and Analyze Sentinel Events from Cardiothoracic and Vascular Procedures |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Michael A. Mazzeffi, MD | University of Maryland, College Park, MD | Procoagulant and Anticoagulant Factor Levels, Thrombin Generation, and Bleeding During Venoarterial ECMO |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Matthew A. Fischer, MD | University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA | Predicting Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation Using a Multi-Locus Epigenomic Risk Metric |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Jan M. Dieleman, MD PhD | UMC Utrecht Utrecht, Netherlands | Genome wide DNA methylation profiles in patients with severe coronary artery disease and heart failure |
2015 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Elod Szabo, MD PhD | Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada | Influence of Exercise and Arrhythmia on the Development of Na-channel Related Cardiomyopathy |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Quintin Quinones, MD PhD | Duke UniversityDurham, NC | Innate Immune Adaptations of Hibernation as a New Approach to Protection Against Acute Organ Injury |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Matthew Levin, MD | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY | Genomics of Vasoplegia |
2014 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA In-Training | Domagoj Mladinov | Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI | Novel Strategies in Advancing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: MicroRNAs, Small Molecules with Great Potential |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Kimberly Howard-Quijano, MD | University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA | The Role of Cardiospinal Reflexes in Modulation of Ventricular Arrhythmogenesis |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Bryan Maxwell, MD | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD | Development of a Comprehensive Perioperative Registry of Noncardiac Surgery and Obstetric Care for Patients with Adult Congenital Heart Disease |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Kei Togashi | University of Washington, Seattle, WA | Randomized Study of the Clinical Impact of Surgical Correction of Tricuspid Insufficiency in Implantable LVAD patients |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | David McIlroy, MD | University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia | Does varying the chloride content of intravenous fluid alter the risk of acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery? |
2013 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA In-Training | Geoffrey D. Lively, MD | Virginia Commonwelath UniversityRichmond, VA | A Clinical Pilot Study of Interactive Biomarkers in Coagulation, Inflammation and Endothelium with/ without Enhanced Anti-Oxidant Buffering Capacity utilizing High Dose Intravenous Vitamin C |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Nina Hauck-Weber, PhD | University of Amsterdam (AMC), Department of Anesthesiology, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Secretion of Caveolin to the Bloodstream-a Role for Circulation Factors in Inducing Organ Protection by Helium – A Translational Approach |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Michael W. Manning, MD PhD | Duke University Medical Center; Department of Anesthesiology, Durham, NC | Atrial Fibrillation following Cardiopulmonary Bypass: The role of Angiotensin II |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Robert H. Thiele, MD | University of Virginia School of Medicine; Departments of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering, Charlottesville, VA | Comparison of Broad-Band Near-Infrared Spectroscopy- Derived Mitochondrial Oxidation State and Tissue Oxygen Saturation for the Detection of Ischemia in Two Models of Rat Cerebral Ischemia |
2012 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Se-Chan Kim | University of Bonn Dept of Anesthesiology, Bonn, Germany | CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide Mediated Postconditioning and Immunomodulating Effect in Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Amanda Fox, MD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA | Genome-Wide Assessment of Genetic Associations with Heart Failure after Primary Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Tobias Piegeler | Department of Anesthesiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL | Amide-linked Local Anesthetics as Src kinase inhibitors in Pulmonary Vascular Inflammation – A New Target for Old Drugs? |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Friederike Behmenburg | University Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany | Does Protection of the Aged Heart by Targeting Mitochondrial Large Conductance Ca2+-activated Potassium Channels Improve Long Term Hemodynamic Performance? |
2011 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Jayant Nick Pratap | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH | Randomized Trial of Near-infrared Spectroscopy to Guide Intraoperative and Intensive Care Management During Children’s Heart Surgery |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Jan Stumpner | University of Wuerzburg, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Wuerzburg, Germany | The Functional Role of Calcium/Calmodulin Kinase II in Ischemic and Anesthetic-induced Cardiac Protection |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Diederik Van Dijk | University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands, Utrecht, Netherlands | The Effect of Dexamethasone on Cognitive Decline after Cardiac Surgery |
2010 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Timo Brandenburger, MD | University Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany, Duesseldorf, Germany | Effects of MicroRNA-1 Knockdown on IGF-1 and cMet Expression and Impact on Hypoxia-induced Cell Death in Rat Myoblast Cells H9c2 |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Tetsuro Sakai, MD PhD | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA | Role of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase in Stem Cell Mediated Neuronal Protection In Vitro |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Gregory M.T. Hare, MD PhD | St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada | Determining the Hemoglobin Threshold for Hypoxic |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Joern A. Karhausen | Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC | The Intestinal Injury in a Rat Model of Deep Hypothermic Cardiac Arrest: Critical Role of Mucosal Mast Cells for Barrier Function and Inflammation |
2009 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Qing Ma, MD | Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC | PPAR Gamma as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Perioperative Cerebral Injury Following Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Martina Nowak-Machen, MD | Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA | CD39 Modulates NKT Cell-induced Oxygen Toxicity in the Lung |
| SCA/SCAF Roizen | Matthias L. Riess, MD PhD | Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI | Free Radicals and Mitochondrial Function: How does genetic predisposition affect cardioprotection by volatile anesthetics? |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Mark Lovich, MD PhD | Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, MA | Pericardial Inotropic Therapy: A new paradigm for studying heart contraction |
2008 Research Grant Winners
| Type of Grant | Awardee | Title and Institution | Research Study Title |
| SCA/IARS Mid-Career | Mark A. Gerhardt, MD PhD | The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH | Cytoskeletal Alterations in a Porcine Model of Restrictive Ventricular Septal Defect |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Ragnar Huhn, MD | University of Amsterdam (AMC) Amsterdam, Netherlands | Helium-induced Cardioprotection in the Hypertensive Myocardium |
| SCA/IARS Starter | J. Danny Muehlschlegel, MD | Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA | Functional analysis of Protease Activated Receptor-4 Polymorphisms associated with Myocardial Injury |
| SCA/IARS Starter | Zhengyuan Xia, MD PhD | University of Hong KongPok Fu Lam, Hong Kong | Nitrate Tolerance Compromises Propofol Protection Of The Endothelium Against Inflammation: The Role Of PKC-ß2 And NADPH Oxidase Interaction |