APFED Research Abstract Awards

APFED works with medical societies to provide small monetary awards ($500-$750) and recognition to the best research abstracts presented at the national conferences for these professional organizations. The awards offset travel costs to the researchers so that they may present their findings about eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases to the medical community. Abstract award winners may go on to successfully compete for grants from APFED or from other funding mechanisms. Donations to APFED support these awards.

AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards
Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)

  • 2024: Edsel M. Abud, MD, PhD, FAAAAI, Scripps Clinic, “Dysregulated Adenosine Pathway Decreases Fibroblast Homeostatic Function in Eosinophilic Esophagitis”
  • 2024: Nicole L. Wolfset, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2024: “Dupilumab Reduces T-cell Antigen-Specific Response in Eosinophilic Esophagitis”
  • 2023: Jonathan M. Spergel, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  “Dupilumab improves type 2 comorbidity outcomes in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis and comorbid disease at baseline: from Parts A and B of LIBERTY-EoE-TREET”
  • 2023: Victoria T. Nguyen, DO, Penn State College of Medicine. “Major depression and Suicide: A Common Comorbidity of Eosinophilic Esophagitis.”
  • 2022: Marc E. Rothenberg, MD PhD FAAAAI Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center “Dupilumab Improves Clinical and Histologic Aspects of Disease in Adult and Adolescent Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis at Week 24: Results from Part B of the 3-Part LIBERTY EoE TREET Study”
  • 2022: Gencer Kurt, MD Aarhus University Hospital “Perinatal Factors Increase Risk of Eosinophilic Esophagitis – A Nationwide Case Control Study”
  • 2019: Basil M. Kahwash, MD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. “Peripheral Blood Microarray Analysis in Pediatric Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis:”
  • 2019: Catherine Sonaly Ferreira Martins, MD, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. “EoE, OIT and Anaphylaxis: an unsolved puzzle.”
  • 2018: Peter S. Capucilli, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “A Comparison of Comorbid Diagnoses in Children with and without Eosinophilic Esophagitis in a Large Primary Care Population
  • 2018: Ichiro Nomura, MD, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development “Elevated Serum TSLP, IL-33, 6Ckine and MCP-3 Levels in School Children or Older Patients with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
  • 2017: Benjamin L. Wright, MD, Mayo Clinic Arizona. “Peripheral Blood Eosinophil Degranulation Is Inhibited in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Implications for Non-invasive Assessment of Disease Activity”
  • 2017: Justin C. Wheeler, MD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Role of Hormone Signaling in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: 17-Beta Estradiol Attenuation Of IL-13 Induced Barrier Dysfunction in Esophageal Epitheliums

 

AGA/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards
Digestive Disease Week (Annual Scientific Meeting)

  • 2023: Alexandra Strauss, MD, Clinical Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, “Chronic Therapy for Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Children Reduces Later Stricture Development”
  • 2023:Matthew Buendia, MD, Clinical Fellow, Vanderbilt Medical Center & Monroe Children’s Hospital, “N-Acetylcysteine May Attenuate Histopathological Findings of Eosinophilic Esophagitis by Reducing Stat6 Activation”
  • 2023: Mira Yang, Medical Student, Northwestern School of Medicine, “Longitudinal Effects of Treatment on Esophageal Dysmotility in Eosinophilic Esophagitis”
  • 2022: Takeo Hara, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA. “Adenosine supports epithelial homeostasis and autophagy in eosinophilic esophagitis.
  • 2022: Michael Wang, BS, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. “The importance of routine gastric and duodenal biopsies on follow-up endoscopy for patients with eosinophilic esophagitis”
  • 2022: Melissa Nelson, MD, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX. “il-13/il4rα Signaling increases tension in human circular esophageal smooth muscle through increases in expression and phosphorylation of cpi-17: Potential contribution to reduced esophageal distensibility in EoE”

 

NASPGHAN/APFED Outstanding EGID Abstract Award
Annual Meeting of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN)

  • 2023: Matthew Buendia, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, “N-acetylcysteine Attenuates Histopathological Findings of Eosinophilic Esophagitis by Reducing Stat6 Activation”
  • 2023: Victoria Martin, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, “Levels of Fecal Calprotectin, Zonulin, and Eosinophil-derived Neurotoxin are Not Associated with a Diagnosis of Food Protein-induced Allergic Proctocolitis in a Large Prospective Cohort Study
  • 2022: Jessina Thomas, MD, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, FL. “Monitoring Eosinophilic Esophagitis Disease Activity Using the Blind Esophageal Brushing Method”
  • 2022: Rethavathi Janarthanam, PhD, Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL, “Carboxypeptidase A3 Is Elevated in Mast Cells Spatially Located by Basal Epithelial Cells and Drives Basal Cell Hyperplasia via Loss of Desmoglein-1 in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.”
  • 2021: Kathryn Peterson, MD, University of Utah Health. “Long-term treatment of patients with eosinophilic gastritis and/or eosinophilic
    duodenitis with lirentelimab, a monoclonal antibody against Siglec-8.”
  • 2021: Andrea Locke, MD, Vanderbilt University. “Surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy to profile biochemical composition of
    saliva in children with eosinophilic esophagitis”
  • 2019 Dr. Kelly Whelan, Fels Institute for Cancer Research & Molecular Biology at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. “Interleukin-13-Mediated Release of Mitochondrial DNA From Esophageal Epithelial Cells: A Novel Noninvasive Biomarker for Eosinophilic Esophagitis”
  • 2019: Dr. Anna Henderson, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “Monitoring Eosinophilic Esophagitis Disease Activity with Blood Eosinophil Progenitor Levels”