Research fellow Kathleen Bickel, MD, PhD, was recently awarded a $300,000 Mentored Research Training Grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER). This award is part of FAER’s spring 2026 grant cycle, which funded seven physician-investigators and totaled $1.68 million in research support.
Dr. Bickel was awarded funding for her project titled “Structural Basis of the Allosteric Regulation of Pacemaker Ion Channel Activity by Trip8b.” Her work is focused on understanding how cells control electrical signaling at the molecular level—specifically how ion channels are regulated in the heart and brain.
She will conduct her research in the Chanda Lab alongside scientists who study how ion channels help control electrical signals in the body. Baron Chanda, PhD, a professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, will serve as her primary mentor. Dr. Bickel will also receive guidance from associate professor Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD.
“This funding allows us to take a much closer look at the structural mechanisms that regulate ion channel activity, and to pursue questions that would otherwise be difficult to explore,” said Bickel.
FAER’s Mentored Research Training Grants are designed to support early-career physician-investigators as they build the foundation for independent research careers. The program emphasizes the development of essential research skills, generation of preliminary data for future grant applications, and the production of impactful scientific publications.
Commenting on the projects supported in this funding cycle, Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD, FAER President and Chief Scientific Officer, and Charles W. Emala Sr., MS, MD, Chair of the FAER Board of Directors, stated:
“The projects submitted by Drs. Bickel, Cortina, Hedayat, Hwang, Rolfzen, Rubin, and Saha represent significant value to anesthesiology, the patients we care for, and our collective scientific acumen. The passion and enthusiasm these seven have shown—both in their initial submissions and upon learning their work would be funded—was truly palpable. It is an honor to support such exceptional physician-investigators and to help provide the early-career funding and protected research time needed for long-term success.”
More information about FAER and the spring 2026 grant recipients is available on the ASA website.