10/04/2022
Anthony Santilli, PhD, Awarded NIH T32 Fellowship
Over the past year, post-doctoral training at the Lerner Research Institute (LRI) has provided Anthony Santilli, PhD, with a greater appreciation for the amount of work that goes into translating research into treatment for patients.
Dr. Santilli’s most recent achievement at the LRI includes being awarded a NIH T32 fellowship as part of the Supporting Multidisciplinary Achievement in Respiratory Research Training (SMARRT) program. SMARRT is a collaboration between the Respiratory Institute and LRI that provides mentorship and hands-on research experience.
“The training will span the entire spectrum of research, including fundamental discovery science, early translational research, clinical investigations and population science research,” says Dr. Santilli. “I’m extremely fortunate to be a part of this training program because it’s innovative and allows me to continue learning about fundamental research elements while adapting the program to my individual interests.”
Dr. Santilli’s research focuses on the interactions between ethanol-induced gut dysbiosis and the resulting immune and inflammatory response. In particular, he aims to understand how this response affects the lungs, in particular to uncover the potential ties between alcohol-induced gut dysbiosis and increased lung infections as seen in patients presenting with chronic alcohol use disorder.
“At the LRI, I’ve had the opportunity to branch out and learn aspects of biochemistry and animal studies from researchers with diverse experience in those fields,” says Dr. Santilli, including under the mentorship of his principal investigator, Gail Cresci, PhD, RD a staff member in Department of Inflammation & Immunity.