September 14, 2018
Dr. Jasmine Luzum
Congratulations to Dr. Jasmine Luzum, who recently won two additional research awards.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018, was a rewarding day for assistant professor Jasmine A. (Talameh) Luzum, PharmD, PhD, BCPS. Dr. Luzum learned that she won two different research awards: the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Research Institute (ACCP RI) Futures Grant, and the National Institute of Health Loan Repayment Program (NIH LRP).

The ACCP RI Futures Grant provides a total of $50,000 to support Dr. Luzum’s research on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) pharmacogenetics. It is well established that ACE inhibitors and ARBs are less effective for treating hypertension in patients with African ancestry compared to patients with European ancestry. There are parallel doubts about racially consistent ACE inhibitor and ARB efficacy for treating racially diverse patients with heart failure. The first aim of Dr. Luzum’s ACCP RI Futures project will compare ACE inhibitor and ARB benefit in racially diverse patients with heart failure by their self-reported race and their genetically defined race. In the second aim, Dr. Luzum will perform a genome-wide association study to discover novel genetic variants associated with the racial disparity and efficacy of ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients with heart failure.

This is the third time that Dr. Luzum has won the NIH LRP award. Through this competitive program, the NIH LRP makes payments toward student loans in exchange for performing clinical research. By mid-2020, the NIH will have paid off $131,012.28 of Dr. Luzum’s student loan debt. “I always tell pharmacy students, if you are interested in a career in research, don’t let student loan debt scare you from pursuing a PhD. The NIH LRP is specifically designed to encourage clinicians to pursue research careers. You do not need to be a senior-level researcher to apply. The first time that I won the NIH LRP award was as a PhD student.” The research that Dr. Luzum will be performing for this NIH LRP award investigates the association between patients’ genetics and their recovery from chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy.  

Dr. Luzum’s research was recognized earlier this year, when she won the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy New Investigator Award. This award provides start-up funding for the independent research programs of early-career pharmacy faculty. The $10,000 award helps fund Dr. Luzum’s research into racial disparity in heart failure outcomes.

For more information, visit Dr. Luzum’s faculty webpage and her lab webpage.