Biomedical Research
Announcing the 2025 Catalyst to Independence Award Recipients
October 31, 2024
We are thrilled to announce the newest class of the Additional Ventures Catalyst to Independence Award program!
The Catalyst to Independence Award supports outstanding early career investigators undertaking impactful research in the single ventricle field as they finish their training and transition to independent research faculty. Catalyst Award fellows are supported through generous funding, targeted professional development, and networking opportunities within the single ventricle community. In addition, the 2025 Catalyst Awardees join six current Catalyst Award fellows in an expanding cohort of exceptional early career scientists. Through this combination of research, career, and community support, the Catalyst Award fellows are poised to develop into future mentors and leaders pushing toward our shared goal of curing single ventricle disease.
Our 2025 Catalyst Award fellows are driven to accelerate our understanding of single ventricle biology and improve outcomes for current and future patients. Both fellows demonstrate a passionate commitment to single ventricle research and eagerness to contribute their talents in bioengineering, molecular and cellular cardiobiology, and clinical care. Their enthusiasm extends beyond research to the new opportunities they will have to recruit, train, and mentor the next generation of single ventricle scientists. We are thrilled to support our newest Catalyst Award fellows and follow their promising journeys to future faculty stars!
We are honored to present our 2025 Catalyst to Independence Awardees!
2025 Catalyst to Independence Award Recipients
Diwakar Turaga, MD, PhD – Baylor College of Medicine & Texas Children’s Hospital
“Role of FOXO Signaling in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.”
Dr. Turaga received his dual MD, PhD degree from Washington University (St. Louis) School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Tim Holy. He then continued his clinical and research training at the Gladstone Institutes, UCSF, and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh before joining Texas Children’s Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and Dr. James Martin’s lab at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Turaga will investigate the molecular mechanisms of right ventricle failure in pediatric single ventricle patients. His current research focuses on elucidating how increased expression of FOXO family members impairs cardiomyocyte function by utilizing HLHS patient derived iPSC models. Dr. Turaga’s research could identify new targets for therapeutic intervention and improve outcomes for single ventricle patients.
Jaci Bliley, PhD – Carnegie Mellon University & Mt. Sinai University Icahn School of Medicine
“Building a 3D Bioprinted Model of Embryonic Heart Valve Morphogenesis Featuring Endocardial and Myocardial Cross-Talk.”
Dr. Bliley received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering under the mentorship of Dr. Adam Feinberg at Carnegie Mellon University. She has expanded her research training as a postdoctoral fellow through co-mentorship by Dr. Feinberg and Dr. Nicole Dubois at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Bliley will develop a novel bioprinted model of heart valve development to better understand the origin of single ventricle disease. Through a combination of bioengineering and developmental biology, Dr. Bliley’s work could provide a new tool to study early heart development and novel insights into how fluid force and genetic factors impact early cardiogenesis.
Supporting creative, innovative, and committed early career investigators to lead the next generation of groundbreaking ideation and invention is critical to our goal of curing single ventricle. As the newest members of the Additional Ventures community, the 2025 Catalyst Awardees can receive up to $1M (USD) and individualized career coaching over the course of their awards to improve their transition readiness. These awardees are making major contributions to the single ventricle field while building the foundations for their future independent research programs.
To learn more about our Research Award Programs and all our Funded Studies, click here.