The Kenneth Rainin Foundation has announced that Dr. Nicole Belle of University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Vivek Rudrapatna of University of California, San Francisco have been selected as the recipients of its Early Career Catalyst Award. Each will receive $500,000 over five years to support their research, which has the potential to improve the lives of people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). These one-time awards commemorate the Foundation’s 15th anniversary of formal grantmaking and its vision of finding a cure for IBD.
Our Early Career Catalyst Awards are an investment in the next generation of researchers and the future of science.
Dr. Laura Wilson
The Rainin Foundation funds novel, high-risk ideas across a range of fields that could lead to groundbreaking advancements in preventing and treating IBD. Ensuring a robust pipeline of scientists with diverse perspectives in these fields is essential to finding a cure for this complex disease. Early career researchers bring new lines of thinking and introduce technologies and directions that invigorate the science.
“These early career investigators are building bodies of research that are novel and cutting-edge, which is essential to scientific discovery. As dedicated physician-scientists, both Dr. Belle and Dr. Rudrapatna are driven by a commitment to research that has the power to transform the lives of patients,” said Laura Wilson, PhD, Director, Health Strategy & Ventures. “Our Early Career Catalyst Awards are an investment in the next generation of researchers and the future of science. By providing the resources they need to test innovative ideas and gather data, we can support their career growth and advance our understanding of IBD.”
The Early Career Catalyst Awardees
Nicole Belle, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania (Basic Science)
Dr. Belle is an aspiring leader in the field of mucosal biology and the diseases that disrupt the intestinal mucosa, such as IBD. Her Early Career Catalyst Award will support Neuro-epithelial interactions in mucosal regeneration.
Research Abstract: Therapies that help heal the lining of the intestines are needed in IBD care. These therapies are not currently available because it is not yet fully understood how the intestine repairs itself after an injury. Dr. Belle seeks to understand whether nerves of the intestines help orchestrate intestinal regeneration.
My research is driven by the aspiration to improve the lives of patients with IBD through novel approaches to care. As such, my laboratory and clinical responsibilities complement and inform each other. My lab strives to advance our understanding of how the intestine heals itself and harness that knowledge for new treatment modalities for IBD patients. I am grateful to the Rainin Foundation for their support of our work.
Dr. Nicole Belle
Vivek Rudrapatna, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco (Translational Science)
Dr. Rudrapatna’s ambitious proposal represents the next step in his evolution as a translational physician-scientist. His Early Career Catalyst Award will support Improving clinical decision making beyond the standard of care using artificial intelligence.
Research Abstract: Clinical decision making in ulcerative colitis relies on practice guidelines and physician experience, but both have limitations. Guidelines offer broad advice that may not apply to individual patients while physician experience is subjective and error prone. Dr. Rudrapatna will address these limitations using reinforcement learning, a type of artificial intelligence that learns to make optimal decisions over time. Reinforcement learning has successfully been used in autonomous driving and it will now be adapted and applied to ulcerative colitis.
My commitment to IBD research is both professional and personal: I am an IBD physician who also happens to be a patient. I am grateful to the Rainin Foundation for supporting our efforts to bring new AI methods to the world of IBD, opening the door to new discoveries that can inform the science and care of our patients.
Dr. Vivek Rudrapatna
About The Kenneth Rainin Foundation
Kenneth Rainin Foundation is a family foundation that collaborates with creative thinkers in the Arts, Education and Health. We believe in taking smart risks to achieve breakthroughs. In 2024, the Foundation is celebrating 15 years of formal grantmaking that supports visionary artists in the Bay Area, creates opportunities for Oakland’s youngest learners and funds researchers on the forefront of scientific discoveries. Since 2009, the Foundation has awarded over $45 million in funding to support innovative IBD research. Learn more about the Rainin Foundation’s grantmaking. Explore the Rainin IBD research portal to learn more about the Rainin Foundation’s research grantees and funding areas, as well as its vision and strategy for solving IBD.
