Six researchers from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center were recognized for their scientific achievements at the 17th annual Excellence in Research awards ceremony, which took place on November 5 at the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education.
The event was hosted by Michael E. Richards, MD, MPA, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, and Hengameh Raissy, PharmD, Vice President for Research. The ceremony included a guest lecture by David Schade, MD, chief of the Division of Endocrinology in the UNM School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine. Schade presented findings from his clinical research on how aggressively lowering LDL cholesterol through medication and dietary changes can protect heart health.
According to Raissy, thirty researchers were nominated across six categories this year. The recipients were selected based on peer nominations.
Alan Tomkinson, PhD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and deputy director of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, received the Basic Science Research award. His work involves using DNA ligase inhibitors identified through structure-based screening to study DNA ligase functions in both non-malignant and cancer cells. His laboratory found that cancer cells react differently to agents targeting mitochondrial genome maintenance. This discovery could lead to new therapeutic strategies.
Sarah Piro Richardson, MD, professor of Neurology and co-director of UNM’s Nene & Jamie Koch Comprehensive Movement Disorders Center, was given the Clinical Science Award. She is recognized nationally for her expertise in dystonia. In a recent study on focal hand dystonia with her colleagues, she observed persistently elevated dorsal premotor–motor intracortical inhibition during rest and movement. This may represent a compensatory mechanism or serve as a biomarker for dystonia.
Tae-Hyung Kim, PhD, MS, assistant professor of Pathology at UNM, received the Junior Faculty award. His research examines how high extracellular glucose levels affect cancer cell and immune cell behavior. Kim aims to clarify mechanisms behind cancer progression and find potential therapy targets. He also mentors students through participation in the Undergraduate Pipeline Network.
Shuguang Leng, MBBS, PhD, associate professor of Internal Medicine at UNM Health Sciences Center, was awarded the Population Science award for his studies on how combustion-derived particulate matter—especially from wildfires—impacts respiratory and cardiovascular health and contributes to health disparities. Leng leads several grants focusing on gene-environment interactions and biomarker discovery.
Karla Thornton, MD, MPH—a professor of Internal Medicine and executive director of Project ECHO—received the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning award. As an infectious disease expert who helped establish ECHO’s original hepatitis C program in 2003, she has played a key role in developing its tele-mentoring model used worldwide by health professionals treating hepatitis C and related conditions.
Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez, PhD, MS, RDN—a professor in the College of Population Health—was honored with the Team Science award for her contributions to interventions addressing chronic disease prevention; maternal and child nutrition security; malnutrition; and integration between health services and community resources locally as well as globally.
