Jing Ma
Ben Wall
Yoichi Ono, MD, PhD
Adam Salon, PhD
Candee Barris
Beryl Khakina
Ishara M.G. Menik
MCG researchers publish first explanation of HIV, hypertension correlation
A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers in the Vascular Biology Center at Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia provides the first evidence of why people living with human immunodeficiency virus, more commonly referred to as HIV, are more likely to have hypertension, or high blood pressure.
MCG researchers secure $5.7 million in new NIH grants
Two new National Institutes of Health grants, totaling $5.7 million, are aimed at helping scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University better understand the mechanisms of two cardiovascular complications associated with HIV.
Putting the brakes on accelerated aging of bone, muscle from HIV infection, treatment
Antiretroviral cocktails can make human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, undetectable and untransmittable, but both the virus and its treatment can also accelerate aging of bone and muscle.
2025
American Physiology Summit (APS) held in Baltimore, MD | April 24-27
Beryl Khakina, PhD
Ishara Menik, PhD
Yoichi Ono, MD, PhD,
2024
American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions in Chicago held September 5-8, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois
Beryl Khakina, a Vascular Biology PhD student under the advisement of Eric Belin de Chantemele,
received the award for Support of Underrepresented Minorities from the American Heart
Association (AHA). She was selected for two oral presentations of her project, “HIV-derived
proteins induce Neuroinflammation, Hypertension and Sympatho-activation via T-cell-dependent
mechanisms in the Tg26 Mouse Model,” at the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute
(NHLBI) Trainee Session on September 4th, and at the New Paradigms in Brain Mechanisms
of Hypertension session on September 7th.
Ishara MG Menik, a Vascular Biology PhD student under the advisement of Eric Belin de Chantemele,
received the Trainee Advocacy Committee (TAC) Early Career award for the poster presentation
project “Inappropriate Activation of the Leptin-Aldosterone-Endothelial Mineralocorticoid
Receptor axis promotes Salt sensitivity of Blood pressure in Young female mice".
Yoichi Ono, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Eric Belin de Chantemele’s lab, received a Hypertension New Investigator Travel Award for the oral presentation “Adrenal Zona Glomerulosa Long Form Leptin Receptor (LepRb) Protects from Leptin-Mediated Vascular Disorders in Female Mice” on September 5th.
Taylor Kress successfully defended his PhD dissertation "Role of HIV-Derived Proteins Expressed by CD4+ T Lymphocytes and of the Integrase Inhibitor Dolutegravir in the Development of HIV-Associated Cardiometabolic Disorders" on June 12th. Taylor has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Crowley.
2023
March 16-17, 2023 |38th Graduate Research Day Events
(middle right) Reem Atawia, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow who is mentored by Dr. Eric Belin de Chantemele, awarded 2nd place for Excellence in Research (poster presentation)
(middle left) Candee Barris, a candidate for PhD in Vascular Biology who is mentored by Dr. Eric Belin de Chantemele, received the Virendra B. Mahesh Award (poster presentation) for “Ovarian-derived sex hormones do not mediate the sex-specific mechanism of hypertension in obese mice”
April 20-23, 2023 | American Physiology Summit (APS) held in Long Beach, CA
Reem Atawia, PhD, was awarded the APS-Cardiovascular Section “Outstanding Trainee Award”
Eric Belin de Chantemele, PhD, received the inaugural award for “The APS Charles Bates Research Award”
2022
Candee Barris discusses her military service before becoming a PhD student in the JagWire article: Augusta University
Candee Barris is one of four students to receive NIH-funded, highly competitive T32 training grant currently supporting PhD work.
Experimental Biology 2022:
APS Cardiovascular Section Clinical Science Young Investigator Award awarded to Reem Atawia
2021
Experimental Biology 2021:
Dr. Belin de Chantemele recipient of the Henry Pickering Bowditch award.
Augusta University Graduate research Day 2021
(picture 1) Ji Cheng Memorial & Phi Kappa Phi Award for Excellence in Research by a Biomedical Sciences student in the early years of training to Candee BARRIS
(picture 2) Augusta University Award for Excellence in Research by a Postdoctoral Fellow, 1st place (oral) to Reem ATAWIA
(picture 3) Augusta University, The Graduate School Award for Excellence in Research by a Graduate Student to Taylor KRESS
2019
2019 APS “Aldosterone and ENaC in Health and Disease: the Kidney and Beyond”
Conference travel award awarded to Jessica FAULKNER
2019 AHA Hypertension Scientific Session
“Stephanie Watts Career Development Award” awarded
to Thiago BRUDER DO NASCIMENTO
Graduate Research day 2019
Augusta University Award for Excellence in Research by a Postdoctoral Fellow, 1st place (oral) to Jessica Faulkner, 2nd place (oral) to Thiago Bruder Nascimento.
2018
2018 American Physiological Society: Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases:
Sex-specific Implications for Physiology Conference Award awarded to Jessica FAULKNER
Experimental Biology Meeting 2018
APS-Cardiovascular Section “Outstanding Trainee Award” awarded to Jessica FAULKNER
APS-Cardiovascular Section “Clinical Science Young Investigator Award” awarded
to Thiago BRUDER DO NASCIMENTO
2017
Experimental Biology Meeting 2017
APS-Cardiovascular Section “Outstanding Trainee Award” awarded to Thiago BRUDER DO NASCIMENTO
Experimental Biology Meeting 2017
Caroline tum Suden/Frances Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award to Jessica FAULKNER (Postdoctoral Fellow)
2017 Augusta University Graduate Research Day Award
Best Oral Presentation to Jessica FAULKNER (Postdoctoral Fellow)
2013
2013 Annual High Blood Pressure Research Conference Award
for New Investigators to Anne-Cécile HUBY (Postdoctoral Fellow)v