Faculty & Staff

Supporting the development of young researchers is vital for the future of public health and medicine. Recognizing this need, the National Institutes of Health established the K-Awards in 1957 to help launch the careers of early-stage investigators.

Four Mailman School faculty members are recent recipients of K-Awards: Debbie Barrington, Megan Hall, and Ryan Demmer of the Department of Epidemiology, and Julie Herbstman of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences.

Debbie Barrington says that her K22 DREAM award "is exactly that: the dream of my lifetime." Her five-year grant involves two years of funding for salary and research support on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD, followed by three years of funding upon her return to Columbia. "For the next two years, I will have the opportunity to dedicate 100% of my time towards research on racial/ethnic disparities in health as I work alongside highly esteemed NIH scientists," she explains. "The collaborations I will be building at the NIH will certainly contribute to a very successful research program when I return to academia.  So, I am ready to get started!"

Julie Herbstman's K99-R00 award is will support three years of research on Prenatal PAH exposure and genome-wide methylation in a cohort of sibling-pairs. She says the grant has made her a stronger tenure-track candidate and it "has allowed me to hit the ground running" as a new member of the faculty.

The Office of Research Resources (R2) — led by Robyn Gershon, Associate Dean for Research Resources and Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences — supports junior faculty in applying for NIH awards. As part of the School's commitment to career development, Robyn and her team meet individually with the junior faculty members who are submitting applications.

"K awards are an important priority for the Mailman School, and the combined effort at all levels is really remarkable," says Dr. Gershon. "It demonstrates the support and commitment on the part of senior faculty to the mentoring process. And for our junior faculty, K awards are prestigious and highly competitive - an honor to receive."