Hodder and DeVries receive continued funding for research training program

Dr. Sally Hodder, WVCTSI director, associate vice president for clinical and translational science and Preeminent Scholar Chair at West Virginia University Health Sciences, and Courtney DeVries, PhD, deputy director of WVU Cancer Institute and John T & June R Chambers Chair of Oncology Research, have received notification of continued funding for the research project “West Virginia University Stimulating Access to Research in Residency.”

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded $380,643 for the 2026 fiscal year, which represents year two of the five-year grant totaling $579,437.

The grant supports the Mountaineer Stimulating Access to Research (Mountaineer StARR) Program, which gives medical residents special training and career support to study heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. To help improve healthcare in Appalachia, the program gives residents dedicated time for research, mentorship, classroom education, and grant writing lessons. By training a new group of physician scientists who care about rural health, the program will create better healthcare solutions for patients across the region with cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematological, and sleep related conditions.