Award is Created to Support Clinician-Scientists Transition From Training to Independent Careers in Celiac Disease Research
Celiac Disease Foundation has announced that it has partnered with the North American Society for the Study of Celiac Disease (NASSCD) to award a three-year, $150,000 grant to support young investigator research in celiac disease. This grant, which will begin with awards in 2016, will focus on finding cause and treatment for celiac disease sufferers.
The Celiac Disease Foundation Young Investigator Award is part of the Celiac Disease Foundation’s effort to facilitate the transition of future celiac disease specialists from medical school, to fellowship, to independent clinician-scientist. Physicians just out of medical school, who may want to conduct celiac disease research during their fellowship training, find it difficult to find financial support due to a lack of public and private funding opportunities. Most seek alternative careers, leading to a dearth of celiac disease specialists.
The program is seeded through a $50,000 gift received from the Mary Estrada Estate encouraging outstanding young researchers to focus on celiac disease research.
CDF Chief Executive Officer, Marilyn G. Geller, remarked on the impact a program of this magnitude can have on celiac disease research. “We are grateful to the Estrada Family for the launch of this initiative to significantly impact new research being undertaken throughout the country,” she said. “Research in celiac disease is woefully underfunded. It is our hope that these efforts, made possible through the Young Investigator Award program, advance our understanding of this complex disease, and lead to the next breakthrough in celiac disease research.
About NASSCD
The NASSCD is the U.S. national society of medical, scientific and allied health professionals in the field of celiac disease. The organization’s overall mission is to advance the fields of celiac disease and gluten-related disorders by fostering research and by promoting excellence in clinical care, including diagnosis and treatment of patients with these conditions.