The FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (FIU Medicine) and Baptist Health Research Subcommittee is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Pilot Project awards.
The program supports early-stage, high-potential projects by providing up to $75,000 in funding to generate the preliminary data needed to pursue larger grants from federal agencies, foundations and other funding organizations.
Each funded project brings together a primary FIU Medicine faculty member and a Baptist Health employee, reflecting the institutions' shared commitment to advancing research that improves health outcomes and patient care. Projects are selected based on scientific merit, innovation, feasibility and potential to advance research priorities across both institutions.
Congratulations to the 2026 Pilot Project award recipients:
- Michele Alves, Ph.D. & Aviva Abosch, M.D., Ph.D. - $75,000
“Inflammatory and Pro-Resolving Mediator Profiles Across the Dementia Spectrum: From Circulating Biomarkers to Brain Networks”
- Charles Dimitroff, Ph.D. & Guenther Koehne, M.D., Ph.D. - $75,000
“Boosting Immunotherapeutic Efficacy Against Multiple Myeloma”
- Maria Franco, Ph.D. & Michael McDermott, M.D. - $75,000
“Development of relevant meningioma models for therapeutic discovery”
- Makoto Hashimoto, M.D., Ph.D. & Tom Nguyen, M.D. - $75,000
“Prospective Observational Study Using Brief Mobile Speech Tasks to Monitor Recovery and Detect Early Post-Operative Complications”
- Adel Nefzi, Ph.D. & Manmeet Ahuluwalia, M.D. - $75,000
“Development of FIU-Derived METTL3 Inhibitors for Glioblastoma and Other METTLE- Driven Diseases"
- Adam Rauckhorst, Ph.D. & Janos Juhasz, Ph.D. - $75,000
“Plasma Extracellular Vesicle FTIR and Lipidomic Signatures as Biomarkers of Radiation Response in Pancreatic Cancer”