Young Investigator RESEARCH AWARD Program
OVERVIEW
The Global Nerve Foundation launched its first Young Investigator Research Award in 2023. These awards are for researchers and healthcare providers who are either a resident, graduate student, postdoc, or a clinician/researcher within the first three years as an independent investigator. These awards aim to aid in initial data collection that could be used to apply for a larger award.
GRANT GUIDELINES
All researchers interested in submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI), should download and review the cycle 3 grant guidelines.
Award
$10,000.00 USD for 1-year support with an option of a non-funded 1-year extension.
- This award program will not fund indirect costs (F&A) which are defined as costs of an organization that are not readily assignable to a particular project, but are necessary to the operation of the organization
Cycle 3 – Timeline
- September, 2025 – Letter of Intent Submission Opens.
- October, 2025 – Letter of Intent Due.
- December, 2025 – Selected applicants receive an invitation to the full grant application.
- January-February, 2026 – Full grant applications due.
Applicants must be a member of the Global Nerve Foundation (click to become a member). Please contact us (contact@globalnervefoundation.org) if you would like to become a member, but the cost of a membership is prohibitive.
PREVIOUS AWARDEES
YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARDEE – Ericka Schaeffer, PhD
Dr. Schaeffer is the 2025 awardee of the GNF Young Investigator Award! Dr. Schaeffer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Miami. Her research will focus on the role of Schwann cell-derived exosomes on peripheral nerve repair. Watch the video at right to learn more about Dr. Schaeffer’s research and how the GNF Young Investigator Award will support her work to improve the lives of people with neuropathic pain.
About Dr. Schaeffer
Dr. Schaeffer completed her PhD (2023) from Northern Illinois University before beginning her Post-doctoral Fellowship at the University of Miami. She has multiple publications on the role of Schwann cells in peripheral nerve repair. Dr. Schaeffer is completing her Postdoctoral Fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. S. Shelby Burks.
Ericka Schaeffer, PhD
Post-doctoral Fellow
University of Miami
YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARDEE – Vlad Tereshenko, MD, PhD
Dr. Tereshenko is the inaugural winner of the GNF Young Investigator Award! Dr. Tereshenko is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University. His winning project will focus on identifying molecular mechanisms that characterize painful neuromas. Watch the video at left to learn more about Dr. Tereshenko’s research and how the GNF Young Investigator Award will support his work to improve the lives of people with painful neuromas.
About Dr. Tereshenko
Dr. Tereshenko completed his MD (2020) and PhD (2022) from the Medical University of Vienna before beginning his Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusettes General Hospital. He has multiple publications on the nerve-muscle interface, mapping of axons within nerves, and nerve transfers. Dr. Tereshenko is completing his Postdoctoral Fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Kyle Eberlin.
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EDUCATION
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