NASS Announces $149,910 in Research Grants and Traveling Fellowships

During its 35th Annual Meeting this week, the North American Spine Society (NASS) announced the winners of its 2020 Research Grants and Traveling Fellowships. These grants provide funding for promising projects by qualified investigators in the spine care field.

Since 1989, NASS has funded more than $4 million in grants for spine-related research. NASS Research Traveling Fellowships span at least five months at one medical center other than the facility at which the applicant currently practices. Clinical Traveling Fellowships span at least one month spent in three to five different medical centers studying spine techniques.

A total of $149,910 was awarded to this year’s recipients based on scientific merit, significance of the project, approach and feasibility. Winners were selected by the NASS Research Project Management Committee and Research Council, and approved by the NASS Executive Committee.
 
The 2020 Research Grant award winners are:
 
Grant (Basic): Development of a Clinically-Relevant Large Animal Model of Intervertebral Disc Disease
Principal Investigator: Jeremiah T. Easley, DVM
Amount: $51,644

Grant (Young Investigator-Clinical): Quantitative Tractography of Spinal Cord White Matter Pathways to Assess Severity of Clinical Presentation in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy
Principal Investigator: Nima Alan, M.D.
Amount: $39,850

Grant (Basic): Mitochondrial-Targeted Protection Following Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury with Noninvasive Technology
Principal Investigator: Moh H. Malek, Ph.D.
Amount: $36,915

Clinical Traveling Fellowship: Mohamed Rasheed A. Nihaj, MBBS, M.D.
(Duke University Medical Center; Emory University School of Medicine; Boston Medical Center)
Amount: $7,451

Research Traveling Fellowship: Piyush Kalakoti, M.D.
(University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics)
Amount: $7,050

Research Traveling Fellowship: Luca Ambrosio, M.D.
(Tokai University School of Medicine, Japan)
Amount: $7,000

NASS is a multidisciplinary medical organization dedicated to fostering the highest quality, evidenced-based and ethical spine care by promoting education, research and advocacy. NASS is comprised of more than 8,500 members from several disciplines, including orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, physiatry, neurology, radiology, anesthesiology, research and physical therapy.