Hope Healey Awarded Prestigious NIH F31 Fellowship

Outstanding achievement! Graduate student Hope Healey has been awarded a prestigious NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein F31 Fellowship!

This highly competitive National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) will support Hope’s innovative research for the next three years. The fellowship recognizes Hope’s exceptional potential and the significance of her research using single-cell and CRISPR approaches to understand the evolution of development in syngnathid fishes.

About the F31 Fellowship

The Ruth L. Kirschstein F31 is: - NIH’s premier predoctoral fellowship - Highly competitive with ~20% success rate - Three years of full support - Recognition of exceptional research potential - A launching pad for biomedical research careers

Hope’s Research Program

The fellowship supports investigation of: - Evolution of craniofacial development in syngnathids - Single-cell transcriptomics of head and jaw development - CRISPR functional validation of candidate genes - Comparative developmental biology - Mechanisms underlying morphological diversity

Why Syngnathids?

Seahorses and pipefishes offer unique insights because: - Extreme modifications of vertebrate head structure - Novel feeding mechanisms - Diverse craniofacial morphologies - Evolutionary innovation in jaw development - Relevance to human craniofacial disorders

Cutting-Edge Approaches

Hope’s fellowship combines: - Single-cell RNA sequencing - CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing - Comparative transcriptomics - Advanced imaging techniques - Computational biology methods

NIDCR Mission Alignment

This research addresses NIDCR priorities by: - Understanding craniofacial development - Identifying genetic mechanisms of morphogenesis - Providing evolutionary context for human biology - Developing new model systems - Advancing dental and craniofacial research

Technical Innovation

Hope’s work pioneers: - Single-cell methods in non-model organisms - CRISPR applications in syngnathids - Integration of evolution and development - Novel bioinformatic pipelines - Cross-species comparative approaches

Career Development

The F31 provides Hope with: - Financial independence for research - Grant writing experience - NIH training opportunities - National recognition - Strong foundation for future funding

Mentorship Team

Hope’s success reflects excellent mentorship from: - Bill Cresko (Primary Advisor) - Susan Bassham (Co-mentor) - Committee members - Collaborating faculty - Lab community support

Research Impact

This work will advance understanding of: - Vertebrate head evolution - Developmental constraints and flexibility - Genetic basis of morphological innovation - Evolution of novel phenotypes - Comparative developmental biology

Building on Success

This fellowship follows Hope’s: - First-author Genetics publication - Conference presentations - Technical innovations - Collaborative projects - Research excellence

Lab Excellence

Hope’s F31 continues our tradition of: - Successful federal grant applications - Supporting graduate student independence - Innovative research programs - Interdisciplinary approaches - Training future leaders

Congratulations Hope on this exceptional achievement! We’re excited to see your groundbreaking research on syngnathid evolution and development!