Utpal Pajvani, MD, PhD

“In preparation for my first R01 grant application in 2014,” Pajvani notes, “This application was successful in large part due to the structure imposed by workshop deadlines, as well as peer and faculty pre-reviewing of the research plan. As an added bonus, through this workshop I received five free hours of biostatistical consulting.” Pajvani consulted with the Irving Institute’s Design and Biostatistics Resource (DBR),

Pajvani also received an Irving Scholar Award for his project “A Notch at the Bifurcation of NAFLD and NASH” in 2016. He considers that award fundamental to his research success. “This salary support was invaluable, as it allowed for available funding to actually go toward research.”   

“Without the support of the Irving scholarship, it is unlikely that my lab would have the necessary financial resources to conduct the studies that generated data for two successful R01 applications.”

“The Irving scholarship was a boon at a critical stage in my research career, allowing my lab to receive extramural funding for this project,” Pajvani says. “But more importantly, it allowed us to make a substantive contribution to our knowledge of NASH pathogenesis and uncover a novel therapeutic target for our patients.”