SYNERGY Translational Pilot Award Program

Sladjana Skopelja-Garnder, PhD

Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Project: “Preclinical development of a MAIT cell-targeted topical therapy for lupus skin Disease”

Sladjana Skopelja-Gardner, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Dartmouth College, completed her PhD in Immunology at Geisel School of Medicine, and conducted postdoctoral training at the University of Washington studying innate immune mechanisms in lupus.

Patrick W. Mellors, MD

Assistant Professor of Hematology at Norris Cotton Cancer Center

Project: “Ex-Tissue Resident Memory T-cells for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Chronic Graft versus Host Disease”

Patrick W. Mellors, MD is an Assistant Professor of Hematology at Norris Cotton Cancer Center. His clinical and research focus is on allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and graft versus host disease (GVHD). He uses single- cell analysis of patient samples to understand the immunology of ASCT and pathogenesis of GVHD. His work centers on understanding tissue-based donor T-cell immune reconstitution and its role in GVHD, as well as identifying peripheral blood T-cell populations that reflect tissue-based donor T-cell immune reconstitution and its role in GVHD, as well as identifying peripheral blood T-cell populations that reflect tissue based immunopathology.

Jeffery C. Munson, MD, MSCE

Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice

Project: “Biomarkers at the Bedside: Neutrophil Signatures for Precision Steroid Use in Septic Shock”

Jeffery C. Munson, MD, MSCE is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He is a critical care physician and the Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Dartmouth. His research is in the field of pharmacoepidemiology focused primarily on the prescribing behavior of practicing physicians and the adverse effects of prescription drugs. He has a specific interest in the use of corticosteroids across a variety of patient conditions.

Jennifer Hong, MD

Neurosurgeon, working at the intersection of spatial transcriptomics and neuroscience

Project: “Human organotypic brain slice culture for elucidation interest in the use of corticosteroids across a variety of of glioma immunology”

Jennifer Hong, MD is a Neurosurgeon, working at the intersection of spatial transcriptomics and neuroscience. She is currently pursuing research evaluating the role of brain extracellular matrix in brain tumor-related epilepsy and is thrilled to be participating in the Synergy Pilot Program.

Renata W. Yen, PhD

Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health and the Department of Biomedical Data Science at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine

Project: “ProYou: Development of a Digital Intervention to Meet the Mental Health and Decision-Making Needs of People with Pelvic Organ Prolapse“

Renata W. Yen, PhD is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health and the Department of Biomedical Data Science at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. As a health services researcher, she is focused on decision-making interventions and patient-clinician communication, specifically in the field of women’s health.

Ryan E. Little, MD, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery at Dartmouth Health and Director of the Sinus Research Center

Project: “In Vivo Imaging of Olfactory Epithelium in Humans with Olfactory Impairment Using Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy“

Ryan E. Little, MD is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Dartmouth Health and Director of the Sinus Research Center, is developing a novel objective imaging approach to evaluate olfactory dysfunction in living patients. His SYNERGY Translational Pilot Award supports pioneering use of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) to visualize the olfactory epithelium in real time, pairing high-resolution cellular imaging with validated psychophysical smell testing and patient-reported measures.