The ICTR is proud to welcome the newest cohort of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Scholars (JHCRS) Program (K12, formerly KL2). These talented scholars join a distinguished program committed to preparing the next generation of leaders in clinical investigation.
The JHCRS Program is a collaborative initiative of the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and School of Nursing, in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Funding for the program is provided by the Johns Hopkins ICTR through a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) administered by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
The mission of the K12 program is to support the career development of emerging clinical investigators who aspire to become independent, established, and ethical leaders in clinical research. Scholars receive:
- Rigorous training in research design and methods, leading to an advanced degree
- Mentorship from faculty across multiple disciplines
- Hands-on experience developing and executing clinical research projects
- Career development support to prepare and submit career development awards (e.g., K23, K08, K01)
This year’s new cohort of Clinical Research Scholars embodies Johns Hopkins’ commitment to advancing clinical research through innovation, collaboration, and excellence. We look forward to the contributions they will make as they begin their journey to becoming leaders in clinical investigation.
2024-2026 Scholars
Noelene K. Jeffers, PhD, CNM, IBCLC
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Dr. Jeffers’ research aims to develop and test interventions to promote racial equity in maternal and reproductive health. She utilizes reproductive justice and Black feminist thought frameworks to create culturally specific interventions grounded in the needs and strengths of the Black community. Her current work focuses on using human-centered design to develop a midwifery-led intervention to improve the postpartum cardiometabolic health of Black women and birthing people with hypertensive disorders.
Primary mentor: Kelly Bower, MD
Gerard Limerick, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dr. Limerick’s research focuses on investigating the neuroimmune mechanisms involved in the development of painful peripheral neuropathies. His research on patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy utilizes a bedside-to-bench approach, incorporating exosomal vesicle and spatial transcriptomic analysis to examine the cellular and subcellular changes taking place as pain and neuropathy develop and progress in these patients.
Primary mentor: Xinzhong Dong, PhD
Jennifer Schramm, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Division of Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dr. Schramm’s research focuses on the use of machine learning in pediatric cardiac critical care with her major project focused on predicting the development of necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates with congenital heart disease using data from PC4. Her future work will be utilizing precision medicine and physiologic wave forms to detect NEC before clinical symptoms develop and to study biomarkers of the disease. She is currently a PhD candidate in the GTPCI program at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Primary mentor: Allen Everett, MD
Mfon Umoh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Dr. Umoh’s research focuses on improving cognitive outcomes for older adults by examining biological and social factors that contribute to cognitive decline. She is interested in improving our understanding of the overlap between delirium (acute confusional episodes) and dementia. Her current projects aim to leverage epidemiological data to inform clinical care by examining modifiable risk factors for dementia.
Primary mentor: Esther Oh, MD, PhD
Florence Doo, MD, MA
Assistant Professor of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Maryland-Institute for Health Computing
Primary mentors: Bradley A. Maron, MD, and Heng Huang, MD, PhD
Brian Englum, MD, MHS
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Primary mentor: Brajesh Lal, MD