As CHEST 2015 wraps up, and the CHEST Foundation begins to award new grants to fund research in chest medicine, it’s important to check in with previous grant winners to see how their innovative projects have progressed.
One notable and inspiring CHEST Foundation grant recipient, Dr. Ghada Bourjeily, FCCP, turned her two $10,000 CHEST Foundation grants into a $2.8 million federally funded, interdisciplinary, team-based research program for women’s health.
Dr. Bourjelly's research coordinators, nurses, and administrators. People collaborating on the projects but not pictured: Dr. Jennifer Fung; Dr. Mary Kao, (MD'16); and Palak Walia.
“These grants were instrumental in helping my team,” Dr. Bourjelly stated when asked about the effects winning the grants had on her research. “Without the results from the CHEST Foundation grant-funded research, my team and I would have been unable to apply for federal funding. We were recently awarded about $2.8 million in federal funding.” Her projects, Differences in Respiratory Sleep Parameters of Pregnant and Nonpregnant Women, and Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Prevalence and Mechanisms, both aimed at gaining a better understanding of sleep-disordered breathing during pregnancy. “I am extremely grateful to the CHEST Foundation for its generous support in helping launch our project and to the CHEST NetWorks and steering committees, which are helpful for guiding young physicians toward opportunities like CHEST Foundation grants, which help them succeed in their careers.”
The CHEST Foundation believes that a team-based approach to chest medicine research is a cornerstone for advancing lung health. Our grants support such team-based, interdisciplinary efforts, and we are excited to continue partnering with CHEST members on new clinical research and community-based projects in the upcoming grant cycle for 2016.
It is critical to acknowledge that the success of these projects is made possible by the support of members and friends in the chest medicine community who donate each year to the foundation’s Annual Fund. Become part of our Annual Fund Giving Club today by visiting chestnet.org/donate, and learn more about grant opportunities for 2016 by stopping by chestnet.org/grants. Thank you for your contributions and for your support of the CHEST Foundation’s mission to champion lung health.
Dr. Bourjelly is with the Women’s Medicine Collaborative through Miriam Hospital/Lifespan.