Grants


Congratulations to Shangang Zhao, PhD on his Presidential Excellence Award!

February 7, 2025

Dr. Shangang Zhao has been selected as a recipient of a 2025 Presidential Excellence Award in the category of Junior Research Scholar.  Established in 1985, the Presidential Awards recognize exemplary performance by individuals who consistently excel in their positions and demonstrate a strong commitment to the mission and core values of UT Health San Antonio. […]




Congratulations to Xianlin Han, PhD and Lizhen Chen, PhD on their R01 grant!

September 25, 2024

Dr. Xianlin Han and Dr. Lizhen Chen have received an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health for their project titled “The role of sulfatide in the development of tauopathy in the context of ADRD.”  They are multi-PIs on the award, along with Dr. Jeffrey Dupree, an associate professor with Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. […]




UT Health Newsroom: UT Health San Antonio researcher awarded five-year, $2.53 million NIH grant to study alcohol-assisted liver disease

July 3, 2024

Original story: UT Health San Antonio Newsroom Groundbreaking study could help reduce the need for transplants Contact: Steven Lee, 210-450-3823, lees22@uthscsa.edu SAN ANTONIO (June 21, 2024) ­— Liver transplants associated with alcohol-related disease are growing at a rapid pace, shifting research to address pathologies behind the ailments in light of a limited supply of organ […]




UT Health Newsroom: Voelcker Fund supports research for early career investigators at UT Health San Antonio

June 12, 2024

Original story: UT Health San Antonio Newsroom Voelcker Fund supports research for early career investigators at UT Health San Antonio Posted on June 6, 2024 at 10:57 am. Shared by Jane Alvarez-Hernandez The Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund recently awarded $800,000 to UT Health San Antonio to support research projects from early career investigators. […]




UT Health Newsroom: A long-term ketogenic diet accumulates aged cells in normal tissues, a UT Health San Antonio-led study shows

May 18, 2024

Original story: UT Health San Antonio Newsroom Researchers urge, ‘Take a keto-break,’ for prevention Contacts: Steven Lee, (210) 450-3823, lees22@uthscsa.edu Eileen Teves, (210) 450-7239, tevese@uthscsa.edu Monica Taylor, (210) 450-8970, taylorm1@uthscsa.edu SAN ANTONIO (May 17, 2024) ­— A strict “keto-friendly” diet popular for weight loss and diabetes, depending on both the diet and individual, might not […]




Congratulations to Xianlin Han, PhD on his Owens Foundation Award!

April 12, 2024

Dr. Xianlin Han is the recipient of the 2024 William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation Award for $200,000. The project is titled “Myelin sulfatide deficiency alters galetin-3 signaling in AD”. Dr. Han is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes and an investigator with the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for […]




Congratulations to Juan Pablo Palavicini, PhD and Kevin Koronowski, PhD on their Owens Foundation Award!

April 5, 2024

Dr. Juan Pablo Palavicini and Dr. Kevin Koronowski are the recipients of the 2024 William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation Award. The two-year, $200,000 project is titled “Modeling late-onset Alzheimer’s via gene-environment interactions”.  Dr. Palavicini and Dr. Koronowski have been named Multiple Principle Investigators on the project. Dr. Palavicini is an assistant professor in […]




Congratulations to Shangang Zhao, PhD on his R01 grant!

March 18, 2024

Dr. Zhao’s project, “Paracrine effects of leptin in regulating visceral fat expansion,” has been awarded an R01 grant by the National Institutes of Health.  Dr. Zhao is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and an investigator with the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.




Congratulations to Mengwei Zang, MD, PhD on her R01 grant!

March 1, 2024

Dr. Zang’s project, “Deciphering RNA Splicing Control of Lipid Metabolism and Alcoholic Liver Injury,” has been awarded an R01 grant by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.  Dr. Zang is a Professor with the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies and the Department of Molecular Medicine.  She is also the […]




Congratulations to Juan Pablo Palavicini, PhD on his Pepper OAIC Coordinating Center Award!

November 22, 2023

Dr. Juan Pablo Palavicini has received a Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) Coordinating Center award for $100,000. The multi-center pilot project is titled “Inhibition of ceramide synthesis: a viable strategy to reverse metabolic determinants of sarcopenic obesity”.  Dr. Palavicini is named the principal investigator on the pilot award and will be working with co-principal […]