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Mt. Sinai Foundation’s latest grant aims to bring more medical researchers to CWRU—and more treatments to patients

Shortly after earning his PhD in biology from University of Oxford, Paul Tesar (CWR ’03) returned to his undergraduate alma mater in 2010 in a new role: as a Mt. Sinai Scholar.

The program of the Mt. Sinai Health Foundation aims to bolster research in the basic sciences at �Ǹ���� School of Medicine by supporting early-career researchers like Tesar, who at the time was a junior professor.

The Mt. Sinai funding helped propel Tesar’s already-promising career in stem and glial cell research—as well as those of 30 others across various areas of medicine. In total, these scholars have secured more than $80 million in external research funding and made significant scientific advances.

Now, 13 years after his initial appointment, Tesar is playing a primary role in yet another Mt. Sinai Foundation program. Through a $2 million grant, Case Western Reserve will launch the Mt. Sinai Fellows in Therapeutic Discovery program to recruit mid-career MD/PhD researchers. Along with other leading colleagues, Tesar will help recruit these more experienced scientists.

The fellows will be part of an interdisciplinary collaborative across the School of Medicine and its partner institutions: Cleveland Clinic, Louis Stokes VA Cleveland Medical Center, MetroHealth System and University Hospitals.

Their ultimate goal: to increase scientific breakthroughs and bring effective treatments to patients more quickly. The collaborative focuses on some of humanity’s most devastating diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular conditions, as well as diabetes and obesity-related illnesses.

“The Mt. Sinai Health Foundation has long played a pivotal role in Case Western Reserve’s efforts to perform research that can change lives,” School of Medicine Dean Stan Gerson, MD, said. “This new commitment will further collaboration—among our faculty on campus and at area hospitals—to develop those discoveries into safe and effective treatments for patients.”

Mitchell Balk, Mt. Sinai Health Foundation president

The new fellows program builds on the foundation’s 27-year relationship with Case Western Reserve; in total, the foundation’s investments in the university total more than $34 million.

“The Mt. Sinai Health Foundation has a long tradition of partnering with local research leaders and innovators to improve the health of our community and beyond,” said foundation President Mitchell Balk. “Through this grant supporting �Ǹ���� and establishing the Mt. Sinai Fellows in Therapeutic Discovery, we are ensuring this critical initiative has the necessary talent to advance and optimize the discovery and development pipeline and improve patient outcomes.”

Originally published in the winter 2024 issue of Forward Thinking magazine