IARS Mentored Research Award

Creating Future Leaders

The IARS Mentored Research Awards (IMRA) support the development of promising investigators in anesthesiology and related sciences. Up to four research projects are selected annually, with a maximum award of $175,000 each, payable over two years. The grants are intended to help create future leaders and prepare applicants to apply for independent research funding.

Applications for the IMRA may be in any area of investigation (clinical, translational, basic science), but must have ultimate relevance to the broad practice of anesthesiology and its subspecialties. Principal applicants for IMRA must be members of the IARS who have yet to establish substantial independent research funding or who are initiating a new area of research. Candidates should present a clear research plan, propose work that is pertinent to anesthesiology, and have both a senior mentor and an appointment in a successful principal investigator’s group. All IMRA applications will be reviewed by an external advisory board, appointed by the IARS Board of Trustees and Research Committee. Applications will be reviewed on the basis of scientific merit, adequate preliminary data, career potential of the investigator, and importance of the investigation to the specialty of anesthesiology. Awards are granted at the sole discretion of the IARS.

 

“Receiving the IARS Mentored Research Award really helped launch me in research by providing me the academic time and support and mentorship that I wouldn’t have otherwise received.”

— Past IMRA recipient

Now accepting applications: IARS – 2024 Mentored Research Awards.

To apply please click here.
Application due date: April 30, 2024 
View the 2024 Guidelines here.

You may contact [email protected] if you require additional information.

Past Recipients

Nicholas GregoryNicholas Gregory, MD, PhD
CNS Regions Selectively Activated by Muscle Pain-Induced Hyperalgesia

Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA

Read Dr. Gregory’s abstract

 

Abirami KumaresanAbirami Kumaresan, MD
Characterization of Cardiac Atrophy Among the Critically Ill

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA

Read Dr. Kumaresan’s abstract

 

Mara SerbanescuMara Serbanescu, MD
Role of Nutrition on Gut Microbes & Translocation after Trauma Laparotomy

Duke University School of Medicine
Durham, NC

Read Dr. Serbanescu’s abstract

 

Natalie SilvertonNatalie Silverton, MD
Urine Oxygen: a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool for Hemorrhagic Shock

The University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

Read Dr. Silverton’s abstract

Sunny LouSunny Lou, MD, PhD
Intelligent Clinical Decision Support for Perioperative Blood Management

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Read Dr. Lou’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Lou

 

Wei RuanWei Ruan, PhD, MD
Circadian cardioprotection: BMAL1/HIF2A complex and co-target amphiregulin

The University of Texas Health Center at Houston
Houston, TX

Read Dr. Ruan’s abstract and related publications
Read an Interview with Dr. Ruan

 

Katarina RuscicKatarina Ruscic, PhD, MD
The Effects of Anesthetics on Lymphatic Vessel Contractility

Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Read Dr. Ruscic’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Ruscic

 

William TharpWilliam Tharp, MD, PhD
Impaired Lung Mechanics and Intraoperative Ventilator Induced Lung Injury

University of Vermont Medical Center (UVM)
Burlington, VT

Read Dr. Tharp’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Tharp

2021 IMRA Award Winner Laura DowneyLaura Downey, MD
Characterizing platelet function in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery

Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Read Dr. Downey’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Downey

 

2021 IMRA Winner Catherine DuclosCatherine Duclos, PhD
Using anesthesia to predict recovery from disorders of consciousness

McGill University Health Centre
Montreal, Québec, Canada

Read Dr. Duclos’ abstract and related publications
Read Interview with Dr. Duclos

 

2021 IMRA Award Winner Kendall SmithKendall Smith, MD, PhD
Role of Transcriptomic Circadian Rhythms in Postoperative Delirium

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Read Dr. Smith’s abstract and related publication
Read Interview with Dr. Smith

 

2021 IMRA Award Winner Jessica SpenceJessica Spence, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Genetic risk prediction of new atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Spence’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Spence

Michael Bokoch, MD, PhD
Endothelial Activation by Liver Reperfusion Injury in Transplantation

University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Read Dr. Bokoch’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Bokoch

 

Catharina Conrad, MD, PhD
Protease Profiling for Rapid Phenotyping and Monitoring of ARDS

University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Read Dr. Conrad’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Conrad

 

Kamrouz Ghadimi, MD
Right Ventricular Metabolic Dysregulation after Surgery for Heart Failure

Duke University Health System
Durham, NC

Read Dr. Ghadimi’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Ghadimi

 

Yusuke Sugasawa, MD, PhD
Structural basis of lipid and anesthetic action on TMEM16 scramblases

Juntendo University School of Medicine
Tokyo, Japan

Read Dr. Sugasawa’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Sugasawa

Benedict Alter, MD, PhD
Mechanisms and translational application of endogenous analgesia

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

Read Dr. Alter’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Alter

Lara Wiley Crock, MD, PhD, MSCI
Role of the Microbiome in the Persistence of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO

Read Dr. Wiley Crock’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Wiley Crock

Benjamin Steinberg, MD, PhD, FRCPC
The role of pyroptosis in neuropathic pain

The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Steinberg’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Steinberg

John Whittle, MD
Preoperative exercise to improve vagal tone (PREVENT) study

University College London Hospitals
University College London
London, England

Read Dr. Whittle’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Whittle

Broc Burke, MD, PhD
Development of a Real-Time, Bedside, Brain Functional Connectivity Monitor

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center
Aurora, CO

Read Dr. Burke’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Burke

 

Neil Goldenberg, MD, PhD
The Role of HMGB1 in Pulmonary Hypertension

The Hospital for Sick Children
The University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Goldenberg’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Goldenberg

 

Karim Ladha, MD
Peri-Operative Wearables in Elder Recovery after Surgery (POWERS) Trial

University of Toronto
St. Michael’s Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Ladha’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Ladha

 

Kathleen Meacham, MD, PhD
A Wireless System for the Mechanistic Study of Spinal Cord Stimulation

Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Saint Louis, MO

Read Dr. Meacham’s abstract

Jessica Bowser, PhD
Targeting Epithelial Regeneration for Perioperative Organ Protection.

University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, NC

Read Dr. Bowser’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Bowser

 

Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD
The Structural Basis of Neurosteroid Binding to the GABA(A) Receptor.

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

Read Dr. Cheng’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Cheng

 

Jamie Privratsky, MD, PhD
The role of macrophage IL-1 signaling in acute kidney injury and recovery

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina

Read Dr. Privratsky’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Privratsky

 

Robert Sanders, MBBS, PhD, FRCA
Cognitive Disintegration in Delirium.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin

Read Dr. Sanders’s abstract

Daniel I. McIsaac, MD, MPH, FRCPC
A PSH for the Frail Elderly (Phase 3): Prehabilitation of Frail Elderly

University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. McIsaac’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. McIsaac

 

Angela Meier, MD, PhD
Anesthesia and Sex Specific, Immune Dependent Impact on Cancer Progression

University of California, San Diego
San Diego, California

Read Dr. Meier’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Meier

 

Eric Vu, MD
Predictive Analytic Tool for Diagnosis of Coronary Allograft Vasculopathy
This grant is jointly sponsored by SAAA

Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine;
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
Chicago, IL

Read Dr. Vu’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Vu

 

Wei Zhou, MD, PhD
The Roles and Applications of Orexin/Hypocretin System in Anesthesia

UCSF Medical Center/UCSF Children’s Hospital
San Francisco, California

Read Dr. Zhou’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Zhou

Charles Brown, IV, MD
Prevention and Consequences of Postoperative Delirium

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland

Read Dr. Brown’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Brown

 

Laura Cornelissen, MSci, PhD
Cerebral Dynamics of General Anesthesia in Childhood

Eisai USA
Boston, MA

Read Dr. Cornelissen’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Cornelissen

 

Erica P. Lin, MD
Protective anesthetic strategies during neonatal brain ischemia

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH

Read Dr. Lin’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Lin

 

Michael W. Manning, MD, PhD
Mechanisms In the Development of Post Operative Atrial Fibrillation

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Read Dr. Manning’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Manning

Miles Berger, MD, PhD
The trajectory and significance of perioperative changes in AD biomarkers

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina

Read Dr. Berger’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Berger

 

Minjae Kim, MD
Assessing perioperative comorbidities through latent class analysis

Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York

Read Dr. Kim’s abstract

 

Nadia Lunardi, MD, PhD
Anesthesia-induced impairments of developmental synaptic plasticity

University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia

Read Dr. Lunardi’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Lunardi

 

Rene Przkora, MD, PhD
Preconditioning of Older Patients undergoing Hip Joint Replacement Surgery

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Galveston, Texas

Read Dr. Przkora’s abstract

Sinziana Avramescu, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Do anesthetics exacerbate memory deficits following traumatic brain injury?

Humber River Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Avramescu’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Avramescu

 

Gerard Curley, PhD, MB, BCh, BAO
Targeting the MSC-macrophage interaction; optimizing cell therapy for ARDS.

St Michael’s Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Curley’s abstract

 

Aeyal Raz, MD, PhD
Pathway specific mechanisms of anesthesia in the cortex.

Rambam Medical Center
Technion’s Rappaport School of Medicine
Haifa, Israel

Read Dr. Raz’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Raz

 

Lin Zou, MD, PhD
Impact of TLR3-cfB signaling on septic cardiomyopathy.

Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts

Read Dr. Zou’s abstract

2023

Nicholas GregoryNicholas Gregory, MD, PhD
CNS Regions Selectively Activated by Muscle Pain-Induced Hyperalgesia

Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA

Read Dr. Gregory’s abstract

 

Abirami KumaresanAbirami Kumaresan, MD
Characterization of Cardiac Atrophy Among the Critically Ill

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA

Read Dr. Kumaresan’s abstract

 

Mara SerbanescuMara Serbanescu, MD
Role of Nutrition on Gut Microbes & Translocation after Trauma Laparotomy

Duke University School of Medicine
Durham, NC

Read Dr. Serbanescu’s abstract

 

Natalie SilvertonNatalie Silverton, MD
Urine Oxygen: a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tool for Hemorrhagic Shock

The University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

Read Dr. Silverton’s abstract

2022

Sunny LouSunny Lou, MD, PhD
Intelligent Clinical Decision Support for Perioperative Blood Management

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Read Dr. Lou’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Lou

 

Wei RuanWei Ruan, PhD, MD
Circadian cardioprotection: BMAL1/HIF2A complex and co-target amphiregulin

The University of Texas Health Center at Houston
Houston, TX

Read Dr. Ruan’s abstract and related publications
Read an Interview with Dr. Ruan

 

Katarina RuscicKatarina Ruscic, PhD, MD
The Effects of Anesthetics on Lymphatic Vessel Contractility

Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Read Dr. Ruscic’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Ruscic

 

William TharpWilliam Tharp, MD, PhD
Impaired Lung Mechanics and Intraoperative Ventilator Induced Lung Injury

University of Vermont Medical Center (UVM)
Burlington, VT

Read Dr. Tharp’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Tharp

2021

2021 IMRA Award Winner Laura DowneyLaura Downey, MD
Characterizing platelet function in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery

Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Read Dr. Downey’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Downey

 

2021 IMRA Winner Catherine DuclosCatherine Duclos, PhD
Using anesthesia to predict recovery from disorders of consciousness

McGill University Health Centre
Montreal, Québec, Canada

Read Dr. Duclos’ abstract and related publications
Read Interview with Dr. Duclos

 

2021 IMRA Award Winner Kendall SmithKendall Smith, MD, PhD
Role of Transcriptomic Circadian Rhythms in Postoperative Delirium

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

Read Dr. Smith’s abstract and related publication
Read Interview with Dr. Smith

 

2021 IMRA Award Winner Jessica SpenceJessica Spence, MD, PhD, FRCPC
Genetic risk prediction of new atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

McMaster University
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Spence’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Spence

2020

Michael Bokoch, MD, PhD
Endothelial Activation by Liver Reperfusion Injury in Transplantation

University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Read Dr. Bokoch’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Bokoch

Catharina Conrad, MD, PhD
Protease Profiling for Rapid Phenotyping and Monitoring of ARDS

University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Read Dr. Conrad’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Conrad

Kamrouz Ghadimi, MD
Right Ventricular Metabolic Dysregulation after Surgery for Heart Failure

Duke University Health System
Durham, NC

Read Dr. Ghadimi’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Ghadimi

Yusuke Sugasawa, MD, PhD
Structural basis of lipid and anesthetic action on TMEM16 scramblases

Juntendo University School of Medicine
Tokyo, Japan

Read Dr. Sugasawa’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Sugasawa

2019

Benedict Alter, MD, PhD
Mechanisms and translational application of endogenous analgesia

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

Read Dr. Alter’s abstract
Read Interview with Dr. Alter

 

Lara Wiley Crock, MD, PhD, MSCI
Role of the Microbiome in the Persistence of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO

Read Dr. Wiley Crock’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Wiley Crock

 

Benjamin Steinberg, MD, PhD, FRCPC
The role of pyroptosis in neuropathic pain

The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Steinberg’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Steinberg

 

John Whittle, MD
Preoperative exercise to improve vagal tone (PREVENT) study

University College London Hospitals
University College London
London, England

Read Dr. Whittle’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Whittle

2018

Broc Burke, MD, PhD
Development of a Real-Time, Bedside, Brain Functional Connectivity Monitor

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center
Aurora, CO

Read Dr. Burke’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Burke

Neil Goldenberg, MD, PhD
The Role of HMGB1 in Pulmonary Hypertension

The Hospital for Sick Children
The University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Goldenberg’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Goldenberg

Karim Ladha, MD
Peri-Operative Wearables in Elder Recovery after Surgery (POWERS) Trial

University of Toronto
St. Michael’s Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Ladha’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Ladha

Kathleen Meacham, MD, PhD
A Wireless System for the Mechanistic Study of Spinal Cord Stimulation

Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Saint Louis, MO

Read Dr. Meacham’s abstract

2017

Jessica Bowser, PhD
Targeting Epithelial Regeneration for Perioperative Organ Protection.

University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Chapel Hill, NC

Read Dr. Bowser’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Bowser

Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD
The Structural Basis of Neurosteroid Binding to the GABA(A) Receptor.

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

Read Dr. Cheng’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Cheng

Jamie Privratsky, MD, PhD
The role of macrophage IL-1 signaling in acute kidney injury and recovery

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina

Read Dr. Privratsky’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Privratsky

Robert Sanders, MBBS, PhD, FRCA
Cognitive Disintegration in Delirium.

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin

Read Dr. Sanders’s abstract

2016

Daniel I. McIsaac, MD, MPH, FRCPC
A PSH for the Frail Elderly (Phase 3): Prehabilitation of Frail Elderly

University of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. McIsaac’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. McIsaac

Angela Meier, MD, PhD
Anesthesia and Sex Specific, Immune Dependent Impact on Cancer Progression

University of California, San Diego
San Diego, California

Read Dr. Meier’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Meier

Eric Vu, MD
Predictive Analytic Tool for Diagnosis of Coronary Allograft Vasculopathy
This grant is jointly sponsored by SAAA

Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine;
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital
Chicago, IL

Read Dr. Vu’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Vu

Wei Zhou, MD, PhD
The Roles and Applications of Orexin/Hypocretin System in Anesthesia

UCSF Medical Center/UCSF Children’s Hospital
San Francisco, California

Read Dr. Zhou’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Zhou

2015

Charles Brown, IV, MD
Prevention and Consequences of Postoperative Delirium

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland

Read Dr. Brown’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Brown

 

Laura Cornelissen, MSci, PhD
Cerebral Dynamics of General Anesthesia in Childhood

Eisai USA
Boston, MA

Read Dr. Cornelissen’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Cornelissen

 

Erica P. Lin, MD
Protective anesthetic strategies during neonatal brain ischemia

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, OH

Read Dr. Lin’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Lin

 

Michael W. Manning, MD, PhD 
Mechanisms In the Development of Post Operative Atrial Fibrillation

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Read Dr. Manning’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Manning

2014

Miles Berger, MD, PhD
The trajectory and significance of perioperative changes in AD biomarkers

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina

Read Dr. Berger’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Berger

Minjae Kim, MD
Assessing perioperative comorbidities through latent class analysis

Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York

Read Dr. Kim’s abstract

Nadia Lunardi, MD, PhD
Anesthesia-induced impairments of developmental synaptic plasticity

University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, Virginia

Read Dr. Lunardi’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Lunardi

Rene Przkora, MD, PhD
Preconditioning of Older Patients undergoing Hip Joint Replacement Surgery

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Galveston, Texas

Read Dr. Przkora’s abstract

2013

Sinziana Avramescu, MD, PhD, FRCPC 
Do anesthetics exacerbate memory deficits following traumatic brain injury?

Humber River Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Avramescu’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Avramescu

 

Gerard Curley, PhD, MB, BCh, BAO
Targeting the MSC-macrophage interaction; optimizing cell therapy for ARDS.

St Michael’s Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Read Dr. Curley’s abstract

 

Aeyal Raz, MD, PhD
Pathway specific mechanisms of anesthesia in the cortex.

Rambam Medical Center Technion’s Rappaport School of Medicine
Haifa, Israel

Read Dr. Raz’s abstract
Read an Interview with Dr. Raz

 

Lin Zou, MD, PhD
Impact of TLR3-cfB signaling on septic cardiomyopathy.

Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts

Read Dr. Zou’s abstract

“This award [IMRA] absolutely affected my professional trajectory, it offered me reassurance that my research was on the right track and the much-needed financial support to start my own research program. The award gave me the greatest privilege – protected time to focus on my research, to plan experiments and build relationships with other research teams. I felt incredibly lucky to be able to build a research career at the same time as being a clinician and an educator, which would have been impossible without this award.”

– 2013 IARS Mentored Research Award Recipient Sinziana Avramescu, MD, PhD, FRCPC

“This award [IMRA] will increase opportunities for collaborative and innovative research endeavors that may lead to a paradigm shift in managing hemostasis with the safest and most effective strategies in reducing bleeding and blood transfusions in pediatric cardiac patients.”

– 2021 IARS Mentored Research Award Recipient Laura Downey, MD

“The IMRA helped to not only develop and propel me through my translational research platform through creation of a biospecimen repository associated with a single center clinical trial that I designed and led, but also it helped me to acquire formal training in clinical research, epidemiology, and research operations that now is helpful in directing the CRU and in conducting broader, programmatic, multicenter investigations.”

– 2020 IARS Mentored Research Award Recipient Kamrouz Ghadimi, MD, MHSc, FAHA