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Starting Oct. 20 through BWH Research Day on Nov. 20, the public will have the opportunity to decide, via an online vote, who of the three finalists will be awarded the grant.Following a scientific review of the proposals received in response to a BWH call for applications, six finalists have been chosen. Three of the six finalists, all from the BWH Division of Plastic Surgery in the Department of Surgery, have been selected to compete head-to-head in a public competition for a $100,000 Stepping Strong Innovator Award grant. These three finalists are Matthew Carty, MD, whose project is focused on developing a new surgical approach to lower limb amputation and its alignment with next-generation prosthetics; Edward Caterson, MD, who has created a device that can completely enclose extremity wounds from traumatic blast and burn injuries to optimize treatment conditions; and Indranil Sinha, MD, whose idea involves using a patient’s own stem cells grown in the lab to regenerate muscle tissue.One example is the Stepping Strong Innovator Awards. Supported by the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Fund that was established by the Reny family following the bombing, the Innovator Awards will inspire and fund innovative research addressing well-defined clinical problems in areas related to regeneration, limb transplant, advanced stem cell technology, orthopedic and plastic surgery, bioengineering, rehabilitation and other areas related to trauma care at BWH.The Marathon bombing in 2013 brought tragedy to the city of Boston. However, from the horrific event emerged a unified strength from the Brigham community.
In addition to the public competition, the remaining three finalists will compete for the second $100,000 grant in a closed-door presentation to a judging panel in December. Finalists for this competition are George Dyer, MD, of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, who aims to develop fully degradable orthopedic rods to promote healthy bone tissue healing; Omid Farokhzad, MD, of BWH’s Department of Anesthesiology, whose goal is to develop nanomedicines to promote bone healing and prevent infection after orthopedic surgery; and Bohdan Pomahac, MD, of the Division of Plastic Surgery, who has designed a small, portable device that can provide oxygen and nutrients through severed limbs.
Learn more about the public competition finalists in an upcoming issue of BWH Bulletin and view the video here.