Two School of Medicine faculty members win first round of Grand Challenges grant funding – School of Medicine News

Research projects to be conducted by two Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty members have been selected for the first round of internal funding for the university’s Grand Challenges research program.

Yongsheng Chen, Ph.D., associate professor of Neurology, secured a Development Grant for “Next Generation Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Cognitive Impairment in Aging and ADRD.” Co-principal investigator on the study include Ana Daugherty, Ph.D., director, Institute of Gerontology and associate professor of Psychology and Zichun Zhong, Ph.D., associate professor of Computer Science.

Lauren Hamel, Ph.D., associate professor of Oncology, received a Seed Grant award for “AI-Driven Modeling of Cancer Care Communication and Outcome Patterns to Advance Health Equity and Personalized Health Care.” Her co-principal investigators include Felicity Harper, Ph.D., professor of Oncology; Inas Khayal, Ph.D., associate professor of Oncology; Ammar Sukari, M.D., professor of Oncology; and Suzan Arslanturk, Ph.D., associate professor of Computer Science and Industrial Engineering.

Categories of funding included Development Grant program awards and Seed Grant program awards. Four proposals were awarded a total of more than $205,000.

The two Development Grant Program awards support established interdisciplinary research teams in developing and submitting a large-scale, center-size external proposal to a targeted funding opportunity within 12 to 24 months. Funding may be used for activities that help a research team create a more competitive proposal including strengthening existing collaborations (e.g., hosting facilitated team science events), hiring proposal development support (e.g., external grant consulting firm or a graphics designer) and/or paying external reviewers.  

The two Seed Grant Program awards aim to tackle complex research questions through an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach that is not feasible to do in an individual research lab. Projects support teams of researchers interested in pursuing a large-scale, center-size funding opportunity in the next one to two years in one of the four Grand Challenges areas. Grants may be used for activities that seed the capacity for larger, long-term projects, including obtaining preliminary data, building partnerships (e.g., workshops, focus groups, stipends for community partners) and/or engaging students in research.

Other awards included:

Development Grant:

Title: Strengthening Collaborative Governance for Great Lakes Sustainability

Principal Investigator: Shawn McElmurry, chair, civil and environmental engineering, James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering

Co-Principal Investigators: Donna Kashian, professor, biological sciences and environmental science and geology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Matthew Seeger, distinguished university professor, communication, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts; Richard Smith, professor and associate dean, School of Social Work; Kristin Taylor, professor, political science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

 

Seed Grant:

Title: AI-Driven Deep Mapping of Community and Human Environment Interactions across Time and Space

Principal Investigator: Krysta Ryzewski, chair, anthropology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Co-Principal Investigators: Wayne State University: Hengguang Li, chair and professor, mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Lihui Liu, assistant professor, computer science, James and Patricia Anderson College of Engineering. Michigan Technological University: Don LaFrenier, professor, geography & GIS; Dan Trepal, senior geospatial research scientist; and Bob Cowlking, GIS data librarian.

In 2025, Wayne State University identified four of the world’s most pressing challenges as a framework for action. From environmental solutions and personalized health care to responsible AI and smart mobility, the Grand Challenges initiative will turn discoveries into tools that improve lives, strengthen economies and build a better tomorrow.

“This first round of internal funding for the Grand Challenges initiative will help accelerate scientific breakthroughs by Wayne State’s innovative faculty,” said Ezemenari Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for Research & Innovation. “These four projects are well-aligned with known community-identified challenges that our faculty aim to address through their creativity and knowledge. I look forward to the important work that they will do.”

For more information about the Grand Challenges, visit