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Future leaders in clinical research shine at inaugural UTSW symposium

A group of clinical research professionsals pose together in front of a large blue wall with the UT Southwestern Medical School logo.
UTSW Dean’s Scholars in Clinical Research and KL2 Scholars participating in the Future Leaders in Clinical Research Symposium include, from left: Matthew Campbell, M.D.; Jeremy Louissaint, M.D.; Lauren Truby, M.D.; Sanjay Chandrasekaran, M.D.; Bethany Roehm, M.D.; Emily Adhikari, M.D.; Kara Goss, M.D.; Michael Dohopolski, M.D.; Betty Yang, M.D.; Priscilla Yu, M.D.; and Wenjing Zong, M.D.

Eight early-career faculty members committed to advancing their fields through clinical trials and translational research shared their latest findings at the inaugural Future Leaders in Clinical Research Symposium, held Nov. 1 at the T. Boone Pickens Biomedical Building on the North Campus.

UT Southwestern has long been recognized for its outstanding basic science research. Clinical and translational research moves discoveries from the laboratory to improve human health. Carefully designed clinical trials can advance our understanding of disease processes or study the effectiveness and safety of new drugs or new approaches to treating diseases.

“As our scholars progress in their careers, they will become leaders in their respective fields. Through the discoveries they make as clinical researchers, they will improve or create new standards of care,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of UT Southwestern Medical School, who delivered opening remarks for the symposium.

Four audience members listen intently to the speaker.
Eric Peterson, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, observes a research presentation in the crowd. His sponsorship has welcomed 11 early-career researchers to UT Southwestern.

Eric Peterson, M.D., M.P.H., Vice Provost, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research, and Professor of Internal Medicine, spoke about the importance of nurturing clinical research.

“In my own career, it feels like it was just a few short years ago that I was presenting my first report before leaders of my institution. I remember the butterflies that went through my belly and trying to live up to the reputation of the gods who walked before me.

“You should feel a little bit of pressure,” he said to the young researchers. “You are the clinical scholars who will lead this institution moving forward and that is a responsibility.”

Symposium organizer Heidi Jacobe, M.D., M.S.C.S., Professor of Dermatology and Associate Dean of Clinical Research Development, spoke candidly about mistakes made with her first foray into the field.

“I took my data to the biostatistician who told me, ‘Ooh, you really shouldn’t have done it this way.’’’ Dr. Jacobe recalled.

Dr. Jacobe, who corrected course by enrolling in a Master’s of Clinical Investigation Program, said education, mentorship, protected time, and proper training for up-and-coming clinical researchers will help them avoid similar pitfalls.

Woman with dark hair and dark rimmed glasses, wearing a beige sweater speaks from a podium bearing the UT Southwestern Medical Center logo.
Heidi Jacobe, M.D., M.S.C.S., Associate Dean of Clinical Research Development, talks about the work that UTSW Scholar programs are doing to transform early-career research.

“Our mission is to create a wholistic training program,” she said. “We want to launch the next generation of clinical researchers by providing training in core research competencies along with the career mentorship and coaching needed for them to become independent scientists.” 

The clinical research work of these junior physician-scientists is funded through one of two sources: National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for KL2 Scholars or Dean’s Scholarships, which are funded directly through UT Southwestern. During the symposium, five Dean’s Scholars and three KL2 Scholars spoke about their clinical research work in fields that included cardiology, digestive and liver diseases, obstetrics and gynecology, hematology/oncology and more.

Lauren Truby, M.D., an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine who recently completed the Dean’s Scholar Program, talked about her studies with heart transplant patients and her hope to find precision medicine approaches to improve patient survival.

All heart transplant recipients are currently treated with the same regimen of antirejection drugs, Dr. Truby said. She aims to someday change that.

“We have no way of predicting, especially in that first year following their transplant, which patients are going to be at higher risk for infection, which are going to be at higher risk of rejection, and how we can better personalize our approaches to antirejection therapies,” Dr. Truby said.

Audience listens to speaker as she discusses scans shown on a screen.
Lina Chalak, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, speaks about the importance of a strong foundation for a successful research career. Dr. Chalak, a KL2 Scholar program alumna, is also Chief of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.

Using serum samples from 340 UTSW heart transplant patients, she searched for biomarkers that might predict post-transplant outcomes. Dr. Truby also launched a program to collect samples and follow outcomes of transplant patients.

Another Dean’s Scholar who spoke about his research was Jeremy Louissaint, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and a specialist in liver diseases. The 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Provision ensures that patients have immediate access to most of their medical results. Dr. Louissaint said this means many patients with cirrhosis now find out they have a liver tumor by reading their liver imaging results online. In the past, doctors would have called or brought patients into the office and discussed these findings and treatment options.

“The majority of patients feel that getting really bad news on the patient portal is unacceptable,” Dr. Louissaint said. “But these days patients are viewing the results before providers have a chance to actually look at the result.”

Three audience members applaud the speaker.
Dr. Louissaint applauds a presentation from one of his colleagues.

Dr. Louissaint’s research found that 56% of liver imaging results are viewed by patients first. He also examined how long it took before patients heard from their physicians and is now measuring if this method of result disclosure is associated with psychological distress in those patients.

Other Dean’s Scholars who spoke about their clinical research work at the symposium were Emily Adhikari, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Betty Yang, M.D., Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; and Michael Dohopolski, M.D., Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology. KL2 scholars who talked about their research included Matthew Campbell, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Sanjay Chandrasekaran, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine; and Bethany Roehm, M.D., Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine.

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