Jessica Silva-Fisher, PhD, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of DEI Division of Oncology, Director Mentorship to Enhance Diversity in Academia (MEDA), recently was awarded an ASH Bridge Grant.
American Society of Hematology – ASH Bridge Grant Program has been one of the Society’s most important programs since 2013 and has demonstrated the Society’s commitment to protecting the careers of hematology researchers. Each year, ten $150,000 yearlong awards are granted to ASH members who applied for an NIH R01 grant or equivalent and were scored but not funded. ASH Bridge Grants are intended to help sustain recipients’ research and contribute to their retention in hematology investigation while they reapply.
I am honored for this amazing opportunity and support from ASH to continue our novel and exciting work in the area of multiple myeloma RNA biology. This type of funding is essential for junior faculty like me to continue our contributions to the hematology community while working hard to obtain larger grant funding.
The ASH Bridge Grant is open to ASH members at various career stages who the meet the eligibility requirements. MDs, PhDs, and MD-PhDs conducting malignant and classical hematology research are encouraged to apply. Bridge Grants allow recipients to keep their labs operating, retain staff, and continue their contributions to the hematology community.
Dr. Silva-Fisher shares, the goal of this award is to develop long non-coding RNAs, that are part of the larger remaining 98% of the human genome that is often ignored, as potential therapeutic targets for multiple myeloma.