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Li Qian, PhD, associate professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and associate director of the McAllister Heart Institute, has received the prestigious Emerging Investigator Award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a part of the NIH. The award includes $6.5 million in funding over seven years.


Li Qian, PhD, associate professor of in the UNC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and associate director of the McAllister Heart Institute, has received the 2021 Emerging Investigator Award (EIA) R35 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) with seven years of funding in the amount of $6.5 million. This will support the Qian Lab’s continued effort in further developing and refining reprogramming approaches to repair injured hearts.

The purpose of the NHLBI Emerging Investigator Award (EIA) is to promote scientific productivity and innovation by providing long-term support and increased flexibility to experienced Principal Investigators. The EIA will provide investigators increased freedom to conduct research that breaks new ground or extends previous discoveries in new directions. It will also allow investigators to take greater risks and to pursue research that requires a longer timeframe.

The NHLBI intends to fund up to eight new awards in Fiscal Years 2020, 2021, and 2022. Qian received one of these highly competitive awards based on her extraordinary track record and well-known reputation in innovation and productivity. Qian recently received the similarly prestigious Established Investigator Award (EIA) from the American Heart Association with five years of funding in the amount of $400,000 that started in January 2021.