Excellence in Research Awards

Dr. Steven Liang’s research expertise has been instrumental in the development of novel radioactive drugs and pioneering radiochemical innovations, culminating in substantial contributions that span from bench-to-bedside. Dr. Liang has spearheaded the development of groundbreaking technologies, notably novel radiochemical methodologies that could help scientists track the fate of drug candidates (Nat. Commun. 2014 & 2017), and most recently, 18F-Cholestify, a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical in human use (Sci. Trans. Med. 2022). The research has also been featured in a story by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and covered by Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. These accolades underscore the broad impact of Dr. Liang's research to the field of radioactive drug discovery and nuclear medicine and have earned him numerous professional awards and recognitions. These include the Distinguished Investigator award from the Academy for Radiology and Biomedical Imaging Research (2022), the BersonYalow Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (2023) and the Emory Albert E. Levy Award (2024). Dr. Liang has published 172 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals like Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications, Nature Protocols, and the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. His work, frequently cited and highlighted, has earned him the Emory MilliPub Award and has been featured on the covers of 33 professional journals. He currently leads 13 active NIH grants and three foundation/industrial contracts as the PI, managing research funding exceeding $15 million in the year 2023-2024. This impressive accomplishment places him among the top 1.5% of radiology investigators, according to the 2024 Blue Bridge Institute for Medical Research.

Dr. Xiaofeng Yang’s pioneering research, significant contributions to medical physics, and commitment to mentorship and diversity make him an outstanding trailblazer. Dr. Yang’s groundbreaking research improves medical imaging and radiation therapy for patients by using AI. Specific research projects include AI-enhanced PET/MR-guided radiation therapy, AI-aided online adaptive radiation therapy, and AI-driven real-time volumetric imaging. In 2016 he established the Deep Biomedical Imaging Lab at Emory, which focuses on developing AI-assisted analytical and computational tools. These innovative processes improve patient care by increasing both the accuracy and precision of radiation treatments. His substantial research portfolio of projects has garnered over $10 million in total NIH direct costs. He currently leads three NIH R01 grants and a NIH R56 grant. Dr. Yang has published over 230 peer-reviewed journal papers. The high impact of his research can be demonstrated by his work receiving over 15,000 citations and an H-index of 56. He has received research awards, including the Best-in-Physics Award and the John S. Laughlin Young Scientist Award from professional societies such the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and SPIE. His expertise has led to over 50 invited lectures, including keynote addresses at national/international meetings. His work has been recognized by entities such as ESTRO, Physics World, and Applied Radiation Oncology. Dr. Yang is also an active participant in over 40 international grant review panels and NIH and DoD study sections. He also holds leadership positions in several national committees, including AAPM and the National Cancer Institute Radiation OncologyBiology Integration Network.

Dr. Marina Sorrentino Hernandes is a neuroscientist  and currently PI or MPI of two NIH R01 grants, a small foundation grant, and a pending R01 application. Dr. Hernandes blended her neuroscience background with training in vascular biology to study medical conditions such as stroke and vascular dementia. When Dr. Hernandes received an American Heart Association Career Development Award, the stroke project became her independent work, allowing her to delve more deeply into mechanism. She since discovered that Poldip2 not only regulates brain inflammation via modulation of NF-kB, but that it also modifies tight junctions via its actions on zonula occludens proteins. She has extended these observations to a model of sepsis associated encephalopathy and to other diseases with endothelial barrier dysfunction, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this latter animal model, heterozygous deletion of Poldip2 was strikingly protective, suggesting that it may be an excellent novel therapeutic target. In an ongoing project originally funded by an R21, she learned to work under ABSL-3 conditions and pursued the role of Poldip2 in SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury. Additionally, Dr. Hernandes’s success is evident in her 25 published manuscripts, seven review articles and one editorial commentary. Many of these publications are with her trainees, who speak highly of her nurturing nature, her ability to teach laboratory skills and her patience and intellectual guidance.