Martinos researchers receive 'early career impact' and other awards

Here at the Martinos Center, we are exceptionally proud of our young investigators and always excited to note their achievements. The researchers below—but a few of our many talented students, fellows and junior faculty—have recently received awards recognizing the important work they have already done and will surely continue to do.

Yakeel Quiroz, a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Reisa Sperling, received a 2014 Early Career Impact Award from the FABBS Foundation. The purpose of these awards is to "recognize scientists who have made major research contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior." Yakeel's was in recognition of her work in characterizing preclinical biomarkers and early diagnosis paradigms in Alzheimer's disease. Read more about this work on the FABBS website, in "Decoding Clues to Alzheimer's Disease."

Yael Reijmer was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship grant from the American Heart Association. This grant is designed to help young investigators launch careers in research broadly related to cardiovascular function and disease and stroke while working under the supervision of a mentor. Yael's research involves structural brain network connectivity in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Working with Dr. Steven Greenberg in the Stroke Research Center at MGH, she will explore whether brain network disturbances are related to disease burden and cognitive impairment. The aim of the project is to identify sensitive markers of cognitive impairment in patients with CAA-related vascular brain injury.

Bengi Baran was one of the recipients of a postdoctoral award from the MGH Executive Committee On Research (ECOR) intended to support junior investigators pursuing either basic or clinical research at MGH. Bengi was given the Fund for Medical Discovery (FMD) Clinical Fellowship Award for 2014, to support her research with Dr. Dara Manaoch. Here, she will use functional MRI and high-density EEG investigate the stages at which memory consolidation goes awry in patients with schizophrenia, from initial encoding to post-learning processing during wake, to subsequent consolidation during sleep.