April 28, 2017 Today the Milstein Medical Asian American Partnership (MMAAP) Foundation announced the 2017 Fellowship and Project Awards in Geriatrics (under the Irma and Paul Milstein Program for Senior Health), Dermatology, Hematology, Translational Medicine and Reproductive Medicine. MMAAP Foundation was founded in 2011 to improve world health by developing mutually beneficial partnerships between the U.S. and China, as well as greater Asia.Each year fellowship and research project grants are awarded in these five medical fields. A Fellowship Award supports a promising investigator in clinical or basic research from China for one-year of training at a distinguished host institution in the U.S. A Project Award supports a research project conducted in China in partnership with a prominent U.S. institution that will potentially produce a measurable effect on healthcare within two years.Since its inception, MMAAP foundation has awarded over 40 Fellowship and Project grants to support the work of exceptional physician scientists and investigators with the vision, drive and dedication to find new and innovative ways towards advancements in the targeted medical fields. These outstanding award recipients represent more than 20 prestigious Chinese medical institutions including Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Xijing Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Peking University Institute of Hematology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, and others.“The visionary leadership of MMAAP Foundation Chairman and Founder, Howard P. Milstein, has brought together and funded exchanges between outstanding researchers, medical talent, and institutions in these regions,” said Sean X. Leng, MD, PhD, President of MMAAP Foundation. “The 2017 recipients are among the most talented investigators in their fields and our support of their work is vital to both furthering medical research and strengthening relations between the U.S. and China.”Grant applications were evaluated through a two-step peer review process according to the National Institute of Health standard. Panels of Chinese and U.S. experts in their respective fields jointly reviewed all proposals, and finalists were submitted for approval by MMAAP Foundation. The U.S. panels in Geriatrics, Skin Disease, Hematology, Reproductive Medicine, and Translational Medicine include members of the American Geriatrics Society, Medical Advisory Committee of American Skin Association, New York Blood Center, Jones Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, as well as members of other leading U.S. institutions in each field.The 2017 recipients are:IRMA AND PAUL MILSTEIN PROGRAM FOR SENIOR HEALTH2017 Fellowship AwardFellowship Applicant: Junhong Zhou, PhDProject Name: Noninvasive modulation of brain network activity to improve balance in aging and Parkinson’s diseaseChinese Institution: Beijing Tiantan HospitalU.S. Institution: Hebrew Senior Life Institute for Aging Research, Harvard Medical School2017 Project AwardProject Name: Development of a community-based geriatric palliative home care model in BeijingPrincipal Investigator: Xiaohong Liu, MD / Minglei ZhuChinese Institution: Peking Union Medical College HospitalU.S. Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineMILSTEIN MEDICAL ASIAN AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION AWARDS IN CUTANEOUS BIOLOGY AND SKIN DISEASE2017 Fellowship AwardFellowship Applicant: Jinfeng Wu, PhDProject Name: Diclofenac enhances the therapeutic benefit of BRAF inhibitor in BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanoma through ROS/IGF-1R/COX2 signalingChinese Institution: Huashan Hospital, Fudan UniversityU.S. Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital2017 Project AwardProject Name: Immunologic study of the association of bullous pemphigoid with neurological diseasesPrincipal Investigator: Li Li, MD, PhDChinese Institution: Peking Union Medical College HospitalU.S. Institution: University of PennsylvaniaMILSTEIN MEDICAL ASIAN AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION AWARDS IN HEMATOLOGY2017 Fellowship AwardFellowship Applicant: Xiaohua Luo, MD, PhDProject Name: The influence of the CMV immune response on anti-tumor immunity in patients with hematologic malignanciesChinese Institution: The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical UniversityU.S. Institution: Stanford University School of Medicine2017 Project AwardProject Name: Epigenetic regulation and restoring IKAROS functions inantioncogenesis ofhigh-risk leukemiaPrincipal Investigator: Zheng Ge, PhDChinese Institution: Zhongda Hospital, Southeast UniversityU.S. Institution: Pennsylvania State UniversityMILSTEIN MEDICAL ASIAN AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION AWARDS IN TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE2017 Fellowship AwardFellowship Applicant: Nan Shen, MD, PhDProject Name: Establishing a new connection in translational medicine between the United States and ChinaChinese Institution: The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical UniversityU.S. Institution: Brigham and Women’s Hospital2017 Project AwardProject Name: The preclinical research of monoclonal antibody drug treatment for diabetic foot targeting the blood vesselsPrincipal Investigator: Guoquan Gao, MD, PhDChinese Institution: Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen UniversityU.S. Institution: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterMILSTEIN MEDICAL ASIAN AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP FOUNDATION AWARDS IN REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE2017 Fellowship AwardFellowship Applicant: Xi Xia, MD, PhDProject Name: H19 lncRNA-mediated regulation of ovarian folliculogenesis, ovarian aging and ovarian hyperstimulation.Chinese Institution: Peking University Shenzhen HospitalU.S. Institution: Yale School of Medicine2017 Project AwardProject Name: The relationship between sERC in human oocytes and embryo development and neonatal outcomePrincipal Investigator: Xue Wang, PhDChinese Institution: Peking Union Medical College HospitalU.S. Institution: The Center for Human Reproduction, New York