Afshin Bahramy, a second-year in the Department of Human Genetics at the School of Public Health, has been awarded the American Heart Association (AHA) Pre-doctoral Fellowship for his groundbreaking research on hippocampal sclerosis (HS). This grant supports innovative graduate research in heart and brain health.
Bahramy’s project, titled “Towards a Better Understanding of Hippocampal Sclerosis: Integrating Machine Learning, Genetics, and Vascular Analysis,” takes a multifaceted approach to studying HS, a neurodegenerative condition linked to cognitive decline in older adults.
“Our research focuses on improving the diagnosis and understanding of HS,” Bahramy explained. Key goals include developing machine learning models to enhance the accuracy of HS severity assessments, identifying genetic risk factors in collaboration with Dr. Ilyas Kamboh and Dr. Kang-Hsien Fan, and analyzing vascular contributions to the disease’s progression.
By combining computational pathology, genome-wide association studies, and vascular pathology, Bahramy aims to pave the way for early identification of at-risk individuals and potential therapeutic breakthroughs.
Bahramy works with Julia Kofler in the Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, at Pitt Medicine, co-mentor Ilyas Kamboh, and academic advisor John Shaffer at Pitt Public Health.
“Being selected for the AHA fellowship is such an honor and means a lot to me. It’s validating to know that my work is seen as important and worth supporting. Beyond the financial support, this award inspires me to strive for meaningful contributions that can advance our understanding of hippocampal sclerosis and, hopefully, improve the lives of people affected by this and other neurodegenerative conditions,” said Bahramy.
“This semester has been especially fulfilling for me, as I was also honored to receive the Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at the 2024 ADRC Symposium.” He points out that he owes his achievements to his mentor.
-Joe Barreto