Clinical Research Training Scholarship

Clinical Research Training Scholarship is sponsored by The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy (in partnership with American Brain Foundation and American Academy of Neurology). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Clinical Research Training Scholarship | The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy Calling early career investigators Since 2023, FPN, the American Brain Foundation (ABF) and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) have been awarding The Clinicial Research Training Scholarship (CRTS). It is $150,000 in research grants dispersed over two years.

For many, it’s a first major, independent research award, and it allows them to gain experience managing grant-funded research in a mentored environment. To date, 300+ researchers have received about $33M — and 80% of recipients have gone on to secure additional funding from other sources. This unique program has an interdisciplinary approach to research (which ABF calls “Cure One, Cure Many” ).

This approach fosters connections between brain diseases through a cohort of early career researchers working on a number of disorders. The Clinical Research Training Scholarship (CRTS) program encourages emerging experts to develop innovative solutions for treating or preventing peripheral neuropathy.

Research proposals are evaluated for their ability to address key questions and/or create changes in knowledge about peripheral neuropathy and/or lead to a groundbreaking discovery. Chris Cashman, MD, PhD is a neurologist and researcher who studies why the longest nerves in the body are often damaged first. He earned both his MD and PhD in neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University.

He now works at Mass General Brigham and teaches at Harvard Medical School. He also cares for patients with inherited and unknown types of neuropathy and helps lead a clinic for genetic nerve conditions. His research focuses on how aging and damage to mitochondria, the parts of cells that make energy, can lead to nerve damage.

Ariel Zhang, PhD is a researcher who studies how chemotherapy can damage nerves. She earned her PhD from Rowan University and is now a postdoctoral fellow at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. In 2026, she was awarded the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy’s Clinical Research Training Scholarship (CRTS).

Her research focuses on a protein called ATF2 and how it causes nerve damage during chemotherapy. She is studying how this protein works and whether blocking it can reduce nerve injury. Tiffany Li , PhD is a researcher who studies nerve damage caused by chemotherapy.

She earned her PhD from the University of Sydney and also has a master’s degree in biostatistics from Macquarie University. In 2025, she received the Clinical Research Training Scholarship to support her work. Her research focuses on finding early warning signs of nerve damage so doctors can act sooner.

Francesco Michelassi, MD, PhD Francesco Michelassi , MD, PhD is a doctor and researcher who studies nerve damage. He earned both his MD and PhD from Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences and is a physician and Lead Scientist at the University of Virginia Health . His research focuses on preventing nerve damage caused by chemotherapy.

He is studying how a protein called PGC1α may help protect nerve cells from harm. You can watch a video update from Dr. Michelassi here. Francesco Michelassi, MD, PhD Erika Williams , MD, PhD is a doctor and researcher who studies the nervous system.

She earned both her MD and PhD from Harvard University and is now a neuromuscular fellow at Massachusetts General Brigham. In 2023, she was one of the two first recipients of the Clinical Research Training Scholarship (CRTS) . Her research focuses on the autonomic nervous system, which controls important body functions like heart rate and digestion.

Paula Barreras , MD is a doctor and researcher who studies how the immune system affects the nerves . She earned her medical degree from Universidad de los Andes and is now a neuroimmunology fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 2023, she was one of the first two recipients of the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy’s Clinical Research Training Scholarship.

Her research looks at how inflammation from diseases like sarcoidosis can cause nerve damage and pain. To be eligible for the award, applicants must: Be an early-career investigator, in the first five years of their initial academic appointment, or within five years of finishing their PhD or residency/fellowship.

Be working within a U.S.-based non-profit organization, public or private, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local governments and eligible agencies of the federal government. Hold an MD, DMD, DVM, PhD or equivalent, and have a faculty position or equivalent at a college, university, medical school, or other research facility.

Conduct their research and be appointed at an institution in the United States. Have a letter of support from the department chair/division chief, ensuring that the applicant has sufficient laboratory space and support to complete the proposed project and that at least 50% of the applicant’s time will be protected for research activities. Demonstrate a commitment to the field of peripheral neuropathy.

Must be an American Academy of Neurology (AAN) member Application Process Dates In terms of the application process, the dates for the current cylce are: June 1, 2026 – Applications open October 1, 2026 – Applications close Mid-January, 2027 – Review day Mid-February, 2027 – Recipients notified July 1, 2027 – Funding to new recipients begins Chris Cashman, MD, PhD, awarded scholarship for neuropathy research Ariel Zhang, PhD, awarded scholarship for neuropathy research Dr. Erika Williams shares findings from her Clinical Research… Neuropathy News Nov.

2025 Chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy research is on the rise Tiffany Li, PhD, Awarded Scholarship for Neuropathy Research Help improve the lives of those with PN. Your contribution helps us support research and provide an improved quality of life for those affected.