Alumni News and Events

Announcements

Webinar: U.S. Immigration Strategies for Researchers and STEM Professionals in Academic and Nonprofit Research Organizations

Wednesday, August 6, 2 – 3 PM ET
Registration is being managed by the Talent Mobility Fund: Register here

Are you an international researcher or STEM professional working at a U.S. nonprofit or academic research institution? Join us for an informative webinar exploring immigration strategies designed specifically for the unique needs of professionals working in the research ecosystem.

We’re excited to host three leading immigration experts who will provide practical guidance on navigating the complex U.S. immigration landscape, with a focus on pathways that enable talented researchers and professionals to build long-term careers in the U.S. research community.

Whether you’re a postdoc, research scientist, investigator, or supporting biomedical innovation in another capacity, this session will offer valuable information and actionable insights. Don’t miss this opportunity to get your questions answered by top experts and chart a successful immigration path forward. This webinar is for international researchers, STEM professionals, and legal/HR staff supporting research organizations who are interested in understanding and optimizing U.S. immigration options.

Speakers:

Jonathan Grode, Managing Partner, Green & Spiegel, Philadelphia
Lorraine M. Gordon, Vice President of Legal, Plymouth Street, San Francisco & Toronto
Christina Haines, Senior Managing Attorney, Erickson Immigration Group, Washington, DC

Research Special Webinar: Intellectual Property 101 — Beyond Tech Transfer

Wednesday, September 24, 12 pm Central/1 pm Eastern
Register today!

When is the right time to think about intellectual property? Now!
As the old proverb goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Protecting your intellectual property (IP) can help prevent expensive complications down the road should you decide to commercialize your technology. Considering when to file a patent versus keep a trade secret, for example, is key — not all IP is the same.

Get the inside scoop on:

The various types of IP
What IP can do for you
How to establish an IP position
Where IP matters most

This special edition webinar is presented by American Heart Association Ventures and Fogarty Innovation, a nonprofit medtech incubator in Silicon Valley. Dedicated to elevating the innovation ecosystem, Fogarty Innovations offers a variety of educational programs ranging from technical skills topics to reflections from medtech leaders.

News from Research Colleagues

Click on the side arrows to flip through each announcement

Courtney Glavis Bloom

Dr. Courtney Glavis-Bloom, a neuroscientist at the Salk Institute, presented a TEDx talk about her groundbreaking research on the neurobiological changes that occur with aging, and their link to cognitive decline and resilience. Her work is largely supported by the AHA-Allen Initiative in Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment.

Watch the video

Ademuyiwa Aromolaran, PhD, FHRS, FAHA

University of Utah

In the initial stages of my academic career, I had a unique opportunity to acquire an AHA Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Career Award Development Award. This amazing experience has allowed me to develop my independent research program and pursue my career ambition to understand the important connection between obesity-linked pathologies and heart health.

My AHA achievements have helped to establish that this is the profession I am meant to do, as it fits the way my mind works and is my passion. These awards have opened doors to new and valuable experiences, guiding me to where I am today. My AHA-linked origins and dedication to improve and advance academia as a whole, through mentoring, and collaboration, is testament to my desire to continue to share my experiences in positive ways and celebrate the commitment of the AHA to research. I am privileged to be able to contribute to the AHA mission to help to improve the longevity and quality of life of our patients.

Jonathan Baskin, MD, FACS

AHA Research Alumnus Jonathan Baskin, MD, FASC, presented his AHA-funded work to the Cleveland Board of Directors. He and his team at the Cleveland VA Medical System are studying the connection between sleep apnea and hypertension and engineering a 'smart' implanted device to treat uncontrolled hypertension.

Baskin is an Otolaryngologist [ENT]-Head & Neck Surgeon with additional board certification in Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Sleep Medicine. In 2004 he joined UHCMC and the Cleveland VA medical system where he was section chief of ENT-Head & Neck Surgery from 2008-2020. His academic appointments are with the Case Western Reserve University Schools of Medicine and Engineering.

Dr. Baskin's research area of interest is in the development of ‘smart’ implanted platforms in the domain of peripheral neuromodulation (stimulating nerves) and sensing to treat chronic disease. He co-led the team in Cleveland that developed Upper Airway Stimulation therapy for sleep apnea (known as Inspire) having completed FDA trials both at the VAMC and UHCMC leading to FDA approval in 2014. He is currently developing surgically implanted technology to treat patients suffering from uncontrolled high blood pressure. In connection to this work, he regularly trains surgeons around the world in implantation of neuro-interfacing technology. In addition, he is actively involved in supporting the Northeast Ohio biomedical-translation community serving as the associate director for the Advanced Platform Technology Center, and as an oversight board member for the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership.

See this Instagram reel

Vijayasree V. Giridharan, M.Pharm, PhD

Assistant Professor at the Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Neuropsychiatric consequences on COVID-19 survivors - role of vascular damage and gut microbiome

Thanks to the support of the American Heart Association-Second Century Implementation Science Award, Dr. Vijayasree V. Giridharan's laboratory has been established as a hub for understanding the role of vascular complications in infection-induced long-term cognitive and neuropsychiatric effects.

Collage featuring head shot of Dr. Goergen, three students presenting posters, and a casual group shot

Craig J. Goergen, PhD, FAHA

Leslie A. Geddes Professor
Co-Director, Purdue Engineering Initiative in Engineering - Medicine
Director, Clinical Programs, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
Purdue University

This AHA funding helped create a new three-year summer program called "Cardiovascular Disease and Biomedical Engineering at Purdue/Indiana University" which is leveraging Purdue’s existing Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program to nationally recruit undergraduate students for participation in cardiovascular and stroke-related research projects in an interdisciplinary context. The $165K award is funding five summer researchers annually, including attending a research conference to present their work.

"IU Health and Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering have worked together for many years to provide immersive educational opportunities for students interested in learning about cardiovascular medicine,” said Mike Wagoner, executive director of cardiovascular services for IU Health. “AHA’s generous grant now provides the opportunity to welcome additional students who are passionate about advancing the future of healthcare."