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Inaugural
Harry Winston Fellows Announced
Donation supports work of brightest minds in pediatric
medicine
Harry Winston,
Inc. and the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation
Institute have named the first three recipients of the
inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships.
Harry Winston, Inc., the
international fine jeweler and watchmaker, donated a
five-year, $1 million contribution to support the work of
young pediatric physician-scientists from Mattel Children's
Hospital UCLA who are conducting research to prevent, treat
and cure disease and illness in children.
"We are
proud to announce the first three Harry Winston Fellows and
congratulate them on this tremendous achievement," said
company CEO Nayla Hayek. ?Harry Winston has long believed
in engaging local communities to initiate a global good.
Through the Harry Winston Fellowship Fund, we are honored to
continue this tradition by supporting these young
physician-scientists whose vital contributions to pediatric
research will help to enable healthy and brilliant futures
for children around the world."
The Harry Winston Fellows
represent physician-scientists in their second or third year
of fellowship at UCLA (a period of specialized training
following a doctor's residency) who have demonstrated a
commitment to a career in academic medicine. The Fellows,
who have all shown unparalleled excellence in clinical and
research skills, are also extremely bright, exceptionally
hardworking and driven by a desire to make a significant
difference in their field.
Harry Winston Fellows will be
chosen annually by an internal selection committee led by
Dr. Sherin Devaskar, physician-in-chief of Mattel Children's
Hospital UCLA and executive director of the UCLA Children's
Discovery and Innovation Institute.
"The
UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute promotes
scholarship and lifelong learning at all levels of career
development," said Devaskar. ?The Harry Winston Fellowship
Fund will support the best and brightest subspecialty
fellows toward becoming exceptional academic
physician-scientists who will go on to collaborate and
establish networks locally, nationally and globally."
The recipients will be
formally announced at a reception held on Oct. 9 in
Los Angeles.
The 2014 - 2015 Harry
Winston Fellows include:
Dr. Kristina Adachi,
a third-year fellow in the division of pediatric infectious
diseases. Adachi's work focuses on untreated sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) during pregnancy and the
deleterious impact of these infections on infants' health.
Specifically, her research aims to investigate how
infections with chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis during
pregnancy may impact the transmission of HIV and
cytomegalovirus (CMV) from mothers to infants. She has a
special interest in infectious diseases as it pertains to
global maternal-child health and is passionate about
discovering ways to improve the health of infants and
children in low and middle-income countries. She is
thrilled to have this opportunity to draw more attention to
neglected issues in global maternal-child health including
the need for prenatal screening and treatment for STIs. It
is her sincere hope that this project and other research
endeavors may aid in decreasing the risk of HIV and CMV
transmission from mothers to infants and ultimately help
prevent the devastating consequences of these infections in
infants.
Dr. Leslie
Kimura, a
second year fellow in the division of pediatric
endocrinology. The incidence of diabetes, particularly type
2, is on the rise, but drugs to treat it have not focused on
the largest tissue utilizer of glucose-- skeletal muscle.
Kimura's research aims to understand how a protective
peptide called humanin can affect muscle cell function with
hopes that the discoveries may lead to an innovative
pharmaceutical treatment for diabetes in the future. Kimura
said she is excited to combine her love of science and
patient care in a project that has the potential to change
the direction of diabetes research and treatment.
Dr. Edward Talya, a
second year fellow in the division of pediatric
gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. His research
focuses on patients with short bowel syndrome, which is a
disease where the patient is missing enough of the small
intestine that they cannot get the nutrition they need from
eating. His research aims to determine the role of a
hormone named glucagon like peptide-1 in patients with short
bowel syndrome and how this peptide affects the movement of
the stomach and the remaining intestine. This research has
the potential for developing a novel pharmacologic therapy
for short bowel syndrome, specifically with glucagon
like-peptide 1. Talya has been motivated by patients with
short bowel syndrome and pseudo-obstruction because these
conditions are very challenging to manage clinically.
The UCLA Children's Discovery
and Innovation Institute fosters a multidisciplinary
collaboration among faculty and ensures a healthy future for
children through transformative research. The institute
works to pioneer advancements in pediatric medicine in the
following initial four core areas of research: brain,
behavior and development; nutrition, metabolism and growth;
cancer and regeneration; and infection, inflammation and
immunity.
For additional information,
visit
www.uclahealth.org/mattel
About Harry Winston:
Supporting local communities
and giving hope to those in need is a longstanding Harry
Winston tradition that began with its founder. Today, the
company continues this legacy of giving through The Harry
Winston Brilliant Futures? Charitable Program, which
supports organizations that strive to give young people
access to a quality education and the skills necessary to be
successful in life, provide access to cultural and artistic
enrichment and enable healthy futures. Founded in New York
City in 1932, Harry Winston operates retail salons worldwide
in locations including: New York, Beverly Hills, London,
Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai
.
For additional information,
visit:
www.harrywinston.com
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