Rising Stars of Research
Six up-and-coming researchers to watch at KU Medical Center
Research at KU Medical Center is surging, with new faces and new names pushing ahead in areas where KU has traditionally excelled, from cancer and obesity to innovative radiology and cutting-edge ways to measure brain-energy metabolism. New work also is underway, with prestigious funding, nationwide collaborations and international publications.
The numbers tell the story. Federal expenditures at KU Medical Center have doubled since 2017, and clinical trial revenues have doubled since 2021. Matthias Salathe, M.D., senior vice chancellor of research and chief research officer for the University of Kansas, points to a commitment in growing research, both at KU as a whole and KU Medical Center specifically.
“We have devised a comprehensive strategic plan to enhance the growth of research at the university,” Salathe said. “Key components of this plan include enhancing the research infrastructure, fostering collaborations for large grant submissions, recruiting and retaining top scientific talent, encouraging high impact publications, and levering institutional strengths.”
At KU Medical Center, that has translated into numerous opportunities for early-career researchers, who also have benefited from committed mentors willing to make investments of time and resources. The university in turn benefits from the work of early-career researchers.
“Junior investigators are pivotal in driving scientific and technological advancements, which are essential for maintaining research growth within a university,” Salathe said. “Consequently, career development programs designed for students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members serve as the bedrock for the continued success of a research institution. These programs foster the emergence of new innovators and leaders who will shape the future of the university.”
These six rising researchers are indeed shaping the future of the university. Selected from suggestions from leadership all across KU Medical Center, they represent all three schools and hail from as far away as Australia and as close as right here in Wyandotte County.
Margaret Lloyd Sieger, Ph.D.
Associate professor at the KU School of Medicine Department of Population Health
What if a trained social worker who understands addiction became a researcher who could advise policy makers on achieving better outcomes when families experience addiction? That researcher would be Margaret Lloyd Sieger, Ph.D., a recent addition to the KU Medical Center faculty.
Sieger’s research focuses on interventions and policies to address drug and alcohol use among pregnant and parenting mothers.
“A lot of my research has looked at the U.S. child protection system, since parental addiction is a common occurrence among families involved with child protective services,” she said.
Sieger is currently working on a five-year project in partnership with the state of Connecticut, and she also is finishing up a project with the state of Oklahoma. She examines state-level changes to child welfare policy on substance-exposed infants, family treatment court effectiveness, and best practice standards implementation. She has published more than 50 articles and chapters in peer-reviewed literature on these topics.
Right now, Sieger’s efforts are focused on analyzing different approaches to compliance with a federal law, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which she said gives states tremendous leeway to establish locally responsive policies. Much of her work is funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Justice.
“Connecticut has implemented a progressive approach to supporting families with perinatal substance use outside the context of child protective services whenever possible,” Sieger said, noting that the state requires a Care Plan that includes an assessment of the entire family’s needs and a strategy for referring the family for services and resources.
Sieger is one of those people with lived experience. She marks September 7, 2010, as the date she became sober, and she said that changed the direction of her life, ultimately launching her research career.
“Everything notable in my life today, including my research, is because I’m in recovery.”
A graduate of the prestigious KU School of Social Work, Sieger describes her research as macro social work, examining social problems at a high level with an eye toward policy change.
“I’ve always been interested in questions of justice and the intersection of social science and the legal system.” Sieger said. “After I got into recovery, I began working with kids in homes impacted by addiction.”
As Sieger realized she could make more of a difference on the policy level, she decided to pursue research. However, she hasn’t forgotten the need to ensure that her work is accessible.
“I’m most passionate about communicating research findings to regular people. I strive to make the research process and results accessible and understandable to people who don’t have Ph.Ds.”
Matthew Taylor, Ph.D., RD
Assistant professor of dietetics and nutrition
in the KU School of Health Professions
What if we looked at brain energy metabolism through the prism of nutrition? Could we impact the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions?
Matthew Taylor, Ph.D., RD, is working to answer those questions. A registered dietitian, Taylor came to KU for his master’s degree and found an environment rich with mentors asking questions that piqued his curiosity. Now the director of the Brain Nutrition Lab, Taylor completed his doctorate in 2017 and is working with those same mentors on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“As we age, brain energy metabolism generally decreases and becomes far worse in individuals who are in the process of developing Alzheimer’s and its symptoms,” Taylor said. “We can change the way that brain produces and utilizes energy by using interventions like the ketogenic diet and through dietary supplements like creatine monohydrate.”
Taylor is investigating how these interventions manipulate brain energy metabolism and whether brain energy manipulation can be used to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s and other conditions that also exhibit impaired brain energy metabolism.
Through an NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award, Taylor received the opportunity to receive additional training and education in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Taylor credits his mentors, the co-directors of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Russell Swerdlow, M.D., Ph.D., and Jeffrey Burns, M.D., along with Debra Sullivan, Ph.D., RD, chair of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition in the School of Health Professions, with changing the course of his career.
“I’m very proud of my interdisciplinary collaborations with experts here at KU Medical Center who are doing extremely innovative work,” Taylor said. “I am fortunate to have had excellent mentors that have helped me forge these relationships.
Taylor was recently awarded a large grant from the NIH in collaboration with Phil Lee, Ph.D., a professor in the Radiology Department who specializes in the development of novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) techniques to assess the brain at the cellular and molecular level. The new project will test Taylor’s dietary interventions in a way not possible previously, using a proton MRS to measure metabolites in the brain.
“KU Medical Center is uniquely suited for metabolism-oriented research, which I find incredibly intriguing, and it has an incredible neuroimaging program that has allowed us to find ways to bring innovative ideas and methods to our research programs.”
Taylor also has some encouraging advice for aspiring researchers: “The road to becoming an independent investigator can be challenging and requires work ethic and perseverance. Find mentors that are willing to invest in you that not only have expertise in your area of interest, but also who have a broad range of skills that help you learn how to navigate all of the complicated aspects of doing science.”
Kristy A. Brown, Ph.D.
Associate professor of metabolism and cancer
in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
and co-program leader of Cancer Prevention and Control at The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Obesity is a risk factor for at least 13 different cancers. Kristy A. Brown, Ph.D., is working to find out why.
“We are trying to understand, at a cellular and molecular level, why obesity increases the risk of cancer and how it affects prognosis after a cancer diagnosis,” Brown said. “Evidence is showing us that when we delve deeper, there’s a lot more of a link between metabolic health and cancer.”
Brown also is trying to understand how obesity regulates estrogen in the breast tissue and if treating obesity has an impact on cancer.
“Our recent research examines the impact of obesity and poor metabolic health on cancer risk in women at high risk of breast cancer due to carrying a genetic mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes,” she said. “Through our work, we have identified new strategies to both treat and reduce the risk of cancer, with fewer side effects.”
Brown’s work is currently funded through numerous grants from notable sources, including the National Institutes of Health, the KU Cancer Center and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Brown also is looking forward to working with KU Medical Center researchers on KC-MORE, the new COBRE grant examining obesity.
“I feel strongly about the need to engage with the community to ensure they are aware of all the amazing breakthroughs and work being undertaken as a result of sustained government funding,” Brown said. “It is important to ensure that medical research remains a priority.”
“Finding joy in the success of others, those you mentor, those you collaborate with, and those who make significant discoveries, are important in the path to recognizing that research is a collective effort,” Brown added.
Brown, who traces her interest in this area of research to her aunt’s breast cancer diagnosis many years ago, wants to make sure that women diagnosed with breast cancer today have access to more options.
“I am most passionate about making discoveries that will be beneficial to the lives of women at risk of cancer or post-cancer diagnosis,” she said. “Our research is informed by patient experiences, and we keep this in mind when exploring novel therapeutic approaches that are not only effective but aimed at maintaining quality of life. I'm also passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists, building collaborative research efforts and helping to disseminate findings to the community.”
Diane Mahoney, Ph.D., DNP, APRN
Assistant professor and the Beverly Gaines Tipton Endowed Professor in Oncology Nursing at the KU School of Nursing
Diane Mahoney, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, keeps her experience as a nurse practitioner at the forefront of her research to unlock the role of the human microbiome in ovarian cancer.
“As a women’s health nurse practitioner, person-centered care remains a high priority in my research endeavors,” she said. “My study findings could have a far-reaching impact through lengthening and enriching the lives of countless ovarian cancer survivors — this is what drives me. I value including ovarian cancer survivors as patient advocates when designing and implementing my research projects.”
Mahoney began her career as a staff nurse with a bachelor’s degree from KU. As she continued her education, she later worked as a nurse practitioner at the Wyandotte County Health Department. Now an assistant professor and the recently named Beverly Gaines Tipton Endowed Professor in Oncology Nursing, Mahoney conducts oncology research and also teaches courses to graduate students in nursing. This year she also was named a scholar in the National Cancer Institute Early Investigator Advancement Program, and in 2023 she was named the recipient of the Midwest Nursing Research Society’s Physiology, Genomics, Behavior & Society Research Interest Group Early Investigator Award.
“I am interested in understanding the role of the human microbiome in ovarian cancer development, disease progression and overall health outcomes of women with this disease,” Mahoney said. “The human microbiome consists of all the noninfectious microbes such as bacteria and viruses that live in the body. Most of these microbes are bacteria, which is my area of focus,” she said.
“With recent scientific advancements, we understand that certain types of bacteria are beneficial to people’s health while others are harmful and may have a significant role in cancer. I am currently studying the presence of distinct bacteria in the bloodstream and tumors of women with ovarian cancer that may be detectable in early disease,” she said noting that these bacteria may eventually foster a pioneering approach to screening women for disease.
Mahoney earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing and Health Studies. She is a board-certified nurse practitioner in the areas of family practice and women’s health care, and she also has a nurse certificate in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. All of those credentials help frame her perspective and her future research goals. As she looks to the next stage of her career Mahoney hopes to become a mentor to others.
“I have been fortunate to have a strong and diverse team of multidisciplinary mentors who have helped me to succeed,” she said. “They have also served as stellar examples for how I can and should mentor the next generation of scientists. My advice is as you receive mentorship from others, be sure to become a mentor to others.”
Peter Niedbalski, Ph.D.
Assistant professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine
Instead of searching for distant galaxies, Peter Niedbalski, Ph.D., may one day be able to search for elusive causes of disease deep inside lungs. He switched from astrophysics to biophysics, but his work still sounds like science fiction. Niedbalski, who has been at KU Medical Center since 2020, studies xenon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a technique that may one day lead to earlier diagnoses of lung diseases. Xenon is a rare, colorless and odorless gas.
“In normal MRI, a powerful magnet is used to take images of waters and fats in the body,” Niedbalski said. “In xenon MRI, we use the same MRI technology to image xenon gas that a person inhales into their lungs. By doing this, we can see where in the lungs that air goes when a person breathes, which gives us a great deal of powerful information about lung structure and function.”
Right now, Niedbalski is in the middle of leading one of the largest xenon MRI studies ever performed.
“We are imaging 260 healthy young adults using xenon MRI. This study will help us understand small deviations from ideal lung health, which we hope will lead to earlier diagnosis of lung disease and ultimately help usher in a shift from treatment of lung disease to prevention.”
Niedbalski also is working to apply xenon MRI and other novel lung imaging techniques to come up with better ways to measure lung damage in poorly understood lung diseases, such as post-acute COVID-19, burn pit exposure-induced lung disease, cystic fibrosis and scleroderma, among others.
“I love coming up with new ways to collect images and extract information from images,” he said. “As a physicist, I really appreciate the technical complexity of MRI, especially with the added wrinkle of imaging air instead of waters and fats as in standard MRI. By improving the imaging techniques, I get to use my skills as a physicist while making these images more useful to doctors and other researchers.”
One of the challenges preventing wider use of xenon MRI is that it has been developed independently by different physicists, which means most sites don’t yet agree on the best way to collect these images. Niedbalski is leading the charge to change that and advance the field.
“I led a group of xenon MRI researchers in an effort to define standard imaging methods such that xenon MRI can be used in multi-site studies,” Niedbalski said. “These recommended methods are being used in several multi-site trials (including a trial that we are leading here at KU Medical Center), and they are making it much easier to develop new xenon MRI studies.”
Niedbalski noted that the team at KU Medical Center has been key to the advances he has made in xenon MRI.
“Modern biomedical research cannot be done alone, and having a great team is essential to research success,” he said.
Conscious of the fact that his journey in research has been atypical, Niedbalski has some great advice for aspiring researchers.
“I never intended to work in medical research. In fact, when I first started graduate school, I planned to be an astrophysicist. Being willing to make the switch from astrophysics to biophysics opened me up to a whole world of research that I had never even heard of.”
Chelsea Kracht, Ph.D.
Assistant professor in the Division of Physical Activity and Weight Management in the Department of Internal Medicine
It takes a lot of discipline to be an elite researcher, and it turns out that being an elite athlete is good preparation for a high-octane career in research. Chelsea Kracht, Ph.D., has three bronze medals from the Pan American Games, and she also has a training grant, the prestigious K99/R00
Kracht is seeking to combat obesity and poor health outcomes by conducting research into how others divide their days between activity, sleeping and sedentary pursuits.
“My research focuses on the 24-hour day, including being active, sitting, and sleeping. I use innovative approaches to improve these behaviors, either through digital technology, like a mobile phone app, or considering the policies and environments that help people be active and sleep well,” she said. “Some examples might be improving a childcare physical activity policy or using a mobile app to discover patterns in sleep and stress.”
Kracht came to KU from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a campus of Louisiana State University, where she did post-doctoral work. She is a recipient of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), a prestigious award that helps outstanding postdoctoral researchers complete mentored training and quickly transition to independent, tenure-track faculty positions.
As a former elite rower, Kracht was a rowing coach as a graduate assistant, where she learned she was more interested in academics. She also continued to be surprised at the long-term health impacts on people who were not active. That led her to work with children.
“You always feel like you’re too late,” she said of cultivating an interest in exercise. “The obese child at age 5 becomes the obese child at age 15 and becomes the person with cancer at 35.”
Now, much of her work is with preschool children, which she said is a critical age developmentally. She is in the third year of her K99, and she will be launching a study this spring that will be a 24-hour intervention looking at movement and a parent phone app. Soon she will begin working with adults as part of Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research (KC-MORE) within the NIH’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program.
As for her proudest moment, it wasn’t her finish in the Pam Am Games or participating in the Olympic Trials. It was a research project in 2021. She received a grant to modify a childcare center’s outdoor play environments for nature-based play, making the outdoors look more like a park than a playground.
“Immediately after receiving the award, we experienced a COVID-19 outbreak, a major hurricane and significant supply chain issues,” she said. “In the end, we were able to connect many community members with needed resources and obtain preliminary data to improve many other settings for nature-based activity and overall health.