Koethe receives Hazinski Scholarship
The Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) Program has named John Koethe, M.D., a fellow in Infectious Disease, as the fourth annual recipient of the Thomas A. Hazinski, M.D., Scholarship.
The Hazinski Scholarship was developed with the goal of providing support to promising MSCI applicants who have dedicated themselves to patient-oriented research. Excellence in research, outstanding mentorship and environment, and dedication to patient-oriented research were chief award criteria.
As part of his MSCI training, Koethe will investigate the effects of obesity on the body’s response to HIV infection. He plans to perform epidemiologic studies using information from Nashville’s largest community HIV clinic, and to begin experiments looking at the effect of hormones produced by fat cells on the immune system’s response. Koethe will be mentored by Timothy Sterling, M.D., professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases.
Koethe’s project builds on research he conducted in 2008-2009 while serving as an NIH/Forgarty International Clinical Research Fellow at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Lusaka, Zambia. While Koethe has some experience in clinical research, he believes the MSCI training will strengthen his research and advance his career.
“The education and practical skills provided by the MSCI program will be a tremendous asset as a younger physician-scientist, and will aid in formulating pertinent study questions and conducting rigorous, well-reasoned research in the field of infectious diseases,” Koethe said.
Prior recipients of the Hazinski scholarship include Michael Rosen, M.D., Kenneth Niermann, M.D., and Andrea Havens Ramirez, M.D.