Awards and Honors | Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Eman Gohar, PhD

Dr. Eman Gohar's awards and honors, 2020-2025

2025: Innovator Science Accelerator Program (ISAC) Award, Augusta University, NIDDK.
2025: Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA).
2023: Benedict R. Lucchesi Young Scientist Award in Cardiac Pharmacology, Division of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, ASPET.
2022: The American Physiological Society APSselect award.
2022: Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease (VCKD) voucher for pilot and feasibility kidney research.
2022: Renal Section New Investigator Award, APS.
2022-2024: Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant (Transition to Independence Funding), ASN.
2020: UAB Centers for Women’s Reproductive Health and Hypertension Award.
2019-2024: K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK/NIH).

Dr. Gohar's awards and honors, 2015-2019

2019: Renal Section Research Recognition Award (Junior Faculty), APS.
2018: APS Abstract Travel Award: APS Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolic Disease: Gender-Specific Implications for Physiology Conference, Knoxville.
2018-2021: AHA Association-Wide Career Development Award, American Heart Association.
2018: Council on Hypertension New Investigator Travel Award, AHA Council on Hypertension Meeting, Chicago.
2018: Postdoctoral Scholar Award, University of Alabama, Birmingham, (UAB) Office of Postdoctoral Education.
2018: Best Oral Presentation Award, Third Place, UAB Postdoctoral Research Day.
2017: KCVD New Investigator Travel Award, AHA Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease (KCVD), Council on Hypertension Meeting, San Francisco.
2017: Best Poster Presentation Award, First Place, 28th Annual Vascular Biology and Hypertension Symposium, UAB School of Medicine.
2017: Caroline tum Suden/Frances Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Award, APS.
2017: Best Oral Presentation Award, Second Place, UAB Postdoctoral Research Day.
2016: CIRTL Associate, Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, UAB, 2016.
2016: New Investigator Travel Award, Council on Hypertension Meeing, Orlando.
2016: Travel Fellowship by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the Departments of Chemistry and Pharmacology and Toxicology, 4th Annual UAB Workshop on Metabolomics.
2016: Juan Carlos Romero WEH Section Postdoctoral Research Recognition Award Finalist, APS Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis (WEH) Section, Experimental Biology Meeting (EB2016).
2016: Career Enhancement Award, UAB.
2016: Postdoctoral Trainee Recognition Presentation at the 2016 APS Renal Section Posters and Professors Session at the Experimental Biology Meeting in San Diego, APS Renal Section.
2016: Joseph Reeves Award for Excellence in Research (semi-finalist), 32nd Annual Trainee Research Symposium, Department of Medicine at UAB.
2016: Postdoctoral Travel Award, Office of Postdoctoral Education, UAB.
2016: CIRTL Practitioner Scholarship Award, CIRTL, Professional Development Program, UAB.
2015-2017: AHA Association-Wide Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Heart Association.
2015: APS Abstract Travel Award, Physiology and Gender Conference (Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases, Annapolis).
2015: CIRTL Scholarship, Professional Development Program, UAB.
2015: Postdoctoral Scholar Award, Office of Postdoctoral Education, UAB
2015: APS Research Recognition Travel Award, 14th International Conference on Endothelin (Savannah).

Olufunke Falayi, PhD

Dr. Olufunke Falayi’s awards and honors

2026: Recipient of the T32 Integrated Training in Bone Biology, Biomechanisms, and Regeneration IT3BR (T32AR085529) grant.

2025: Winner, Roy Blunt Next Gen Precision Health Image Art Contest. University of Missouri, Columbia.

2025: Mizzou Scholar of Distinction, University of Missouri Graduate School.

2025-2026: William Porter Physiology Development Predoctoral Fellowship, American Society of Physiology.

2025: Acute Kidney Injury: From Bench to Bedside, American Society of Nephrology Travel Award.

2024-2025: Biomedical Entrepreneurship Training program for Aging (BETA) NIH/University of Missouri fellowship.

2024: University of Missouri Graduate School Travel Scholarship to APS Summit.

2022: Kidney TREKS (Tutored Research and Education for Kidney Scholars) American Society of Nephrology.

2022: Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award, American Physiological Society.

2021: Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year Award. Department of Physiology, UTHSC, Memphis.

Frank Kiyimba, PhD

Dr. Frank Kiyimba's awards and honors, 2020-2026

2026: The George M. O’Brien Kidney Resource Alliance (OKRA) Early –Career Investigator Travel Award. OKRA Resource Showcase.
2026: American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship Award 2026: Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translation Research (VICTR) Resource Funds.
2025: Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translation Research (VICTR) Resource Funds.
2025: Recipient of VICTR funds for Examining the Capacity of Human Kidney Organoids to Biosynthesize Cholesterol, Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translation Research (VICTR), VUMC.
2022: Poster Research Award, Oklahoma State University Food and Agricultural Products Center Research Symposium.
2022: Whiteman Oral Research Presentation Award, Oklahoma State University Animal and Food Science Department.
2020: Muscle Biology Oral Research Presentation Award, International Congress of Meat Science and Technology (ICoMST) and the 73rd Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC).

Dr. Kiyimba's awards and honors, 2011-2019

2019: Oral Research Award, Oklahoma State University Food and Agricultural Products Center Research Symposium.
2011-2016: Undergraduate Scholarship, Makerere University, Uganda.

Gohar Lab alumni awards and honors

Jazmine Benjamin, PhD

Dr. Jazmine Benjamin's awards and honors

2023: Best Oral Presentation Award, Black in Physiology.
2023: Renal Section Predoctoral Excellence in Research Award, American Physiological Society.
2023: Howard Garrison Advocacy Fellowship, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
2022: Blazer Way Service Award, University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB).
2022: Student Excellence Award for Inclusive Campus Commitment, UAB.
2022: Vascular Biology & Hypertension Poster Presentation Award, UAB.
2022: Ijeoma Obi Exceptional Near Peer Award, UAB.
2022: Best Poster Presentation Award, VUMC-UAB Nephrology Retreat.
2021: ‘Ever Faithful 50’ Service Award, UAB.
2020: Blazer Way Service Award, UAB.
2017: Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, South Carolina Academy of Sciences.
2017: Outstanding Oral Presentation Award, University of South Carolina Discovery Day.
2016: Outstanding Poster Presentation Award, University of South Carolina Discovery Day.

Supaporn Kulthinee, PhD

Dr. Supaporn Kulthinee's awards and honors

2025: The George M. O’Brien Kidney Resource Alliance (OKRA) travel award, George M. O’Brien Kidney Resource Alliance, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
2025: Excellence in Research Award, College of Health Professions, SUNY Upstate Medical University, USA.
2024: Juan Carlos Romero and Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis (WEH) Section Postdoctoral Research Award, American Physiological Society, USA.
2024: Water & Electrolyte Homeostasis Section Poster Research Award Runner-Up, American Physiological Society (APS).
2024: Council on Hypertension Trainee Advocacy Committee Poster Award, American Heart Association.
2024: Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association People's Choice Poster Award, Vanderbilt University.
2019: Henry Christian Awards for outstanding abstract, American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR), USA.
2019: Kidney Council New Investigator Travel Award, American Heart Association (AHA), USA.
2019: Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award for the highest-ranked abstract submitted from Thailand American Heart Association (AHA), USA.
2018: Caroline tum Suden/Frances Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity Awards, American Physiological Society (APS), USA.
2017: The John F. Perkins Jr. Memorial Award for International Physiologists, American Physiological Society (APS), USA.
2012: Professional Achievement Alumni Award, Faculty of Allied Health Science, Naresuan University, Thailand.