KL2 CTSA Scholars Named

The first two CTSA KL2 Scholars supported by the KL2 Mentored Career Development Program linked to the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) were awarded to:

Ellen Volpe, PhD, RN, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor of Nursing
School of Nursing

and

Nikhil Satchidanand, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Drs. Volpe and Satchidanand were chosen from an outstanding group of applicants following a rigorous review process overseen by Dr. Margarita Dubocovich (Principal Investigator) and Dr. Kim Griswold (Co-Investigator) of the KL2 Program and by the KL2 Steering Committee, which includes senior faculty from each of the UB Health Sciences Schools, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the Research Institute on Addictions.

Both scholars’ research aligns closely with the overall vision of our CTSA and KL2 awards to focus on clinical and translational research to improve health and reduce health disparities in the Buffalo community.

Dr. Volpe earned her PhD in Health Practice Research at University of Rochester and completed postdoctoral training at University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty of the UB School of Nursing in 2013. Her KL2 research project, entitled “Narrative Exposure Therapy: Treating Violence-related PTSD among Low-income, Urban Adolescents”, will assess an innovative community-based intervention, called Narrative Exposure Therapy, for adolescents experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring substance misuse. This approach has not yet been tested in diverse populations experiencing multiple traumas.

Dr. Volpe has an interdisciplinary mentorship team with outstanding faculty from the School of Nursing and the UB Department of Psychology.

Dr. Satchidanand earned his PhD in Exercise Physiology at University of Pittsburgh and completed postdoctoral training in the Primary Care Research Institute at UB before joining the UB faculty. The goal of his KL2 research project, entitled “Adaptive Therapies to Optimize Function among Older Patients Managing Cerebrovascular Disease” is to develop, conduct and rigorously evaluate novel, engaging and culturally appropriate intervention strategies to support older patients to maintain function, independence and quality of life. Applying rigorous methods to evaluating interventions will have an important impact on underserved elders in Buffalo and surrounding communities.

Dr. Satchidanand’s mentorship team includes accomplished faculty from a diverse range of disciplines, including behavioral medicine, geriatrics, family medicine and community research.

Take a look at the scholar cohorts in the Mentored Career Development Program.