PHILADELPHIA—Potential meets power, and hope ignites as Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization serving the rare disease community, announces the selection of ten emerging scientists to its 2024 Young Investigator Draft class. Each recipient will be presented with a $20,000 unrestricted grant to support their vital work in rare disease research, and celebrated with a level of fanfare typically reserved for elite athletes.
This year’s annual Young Investigator Draft will be emceed by American professional wrestler Joe Spivak and held on February 3, 2024, at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The event is open to the public with limited tickets available. The evening will also be livestreamed on Uplifting Athletes’ website for those who are unable to attend in-person.
The Young Investigator Draft is inspired by the NFL Draft, but shifts the focus from the selection of potential talent on the football field to recognizing the next generation of promising young medical researchers in the rare disease space. It is one of several signature initiatives created by Uplifting Athletes to raise awareness and research funding for rare diseases, which affect approximately 30 million individuals in the United States.
This year’s Young Investigator Draft marks a significant milestone as Uplifting Athletes will cross over the 1 million dollar threshold of total grants awarded throughout the history of the program.
“Our Young Investigator Draft is a celebration that shines a spotlight on the critical need for rare disease research and honors those who are dedicating their career to maximize that potential,” said Rob Long, Executive Director, Uplifting Athletes. “Despite there being over 10,000 recognized rare diseases in the US, only 500 treatments are currently FDA-approved. We believe these scientists deserve to be celebrated with the same excitement afforded to college and professional athletes, many of whom partner closely with us to support our mission.”
The 2024 Young Investigator Draft class includes:
Researcher: Anthony Anzell, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Nominated by: HHT Foundation International Inc.
Researcher: Eleonora D’Ambrosio, MD
Category of Research: Rare Muscular & Neurological Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Nominated by: Cure VCP Disease, Inc.
Researcher: Marta Garcia-Forn, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Nominated by: The DDX3X Foundation
Researcher: Noah Guiberson, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Muscular & Neurological Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: Weill Cornell Medicine
Nominated by: STXBP1 Foundation
Researcher: Julian Halmai, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Muscular & Neurological Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: University of California, Davis
Nominated by: Foundation for ARID1B Research
Researcher: Daniel Kennedy II, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Autoimmune Diseases, Rare Blood Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Nominated by: TBRS Community
Researcher: Dorottya Laczko, MD, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Autoimmune Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Nominated by: Castleman Disease Collaborative Network
Researcher: Anusha Sivakumar, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Muscular & Neurological Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: University of California, San Diego
Nominated by: The Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance
Researcher: Toloo Taghian, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: UMass Chan Medical School
Nominated by: National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association
Researcher: Andrea Wilderman, PhD
Category of Research: Rare Muscular & Neurological Diseases, Rare Genetic Disorders
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Nominated by: TANGO2 Research Foundation
Grant submissions for the Young Investigator Draft are thoroughly evaluated by an expert panel of scientific advisors prior to the selection of each year’s draft class. Every researcher is nominated by a patient advocacy organization (PAO) and recognized by Uplifting Athletes as a priority partner, with grants equally co-funded by Uplifting Athletes and the nominating PAO.
The audience at the 2024 Young Investigator Draft will include student-athlete leaders from Uplifting Athletes’ collegiate chapters across the country, notable professional athletes, biopharmaceutical representatives, healthcare professionals, and those directly impacted by rare disease and their families. The Young Investigator Draft is family-friendly and VIP tickets include a special behind the scenes tour of Eagles stadium.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the Uplifting Athletes 2024 Young Investigator Draft, please visit https://charity.pledgeit.org/YID2024.
About Uplifting Athletes
Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 that harnesses the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of the more than 30 million people impacted by rare diseases in America. Since its inception, Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $9 million by engaging athletes in order to positively impact the rare disease community through driving action, awareness, and funding research.