The Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) has awarded their 2026 Trauma Research Scholarship to Helen Wei, MD, assistant professor in the UK College of Medicine Department of Surgery Trauma Division.
EAST is a leading national scientific organization dedicated to fostering advances in the field of trauma surgery. Their mission is to provide leadership and development for early and mid-career surgeons involved in the acute surgical management of ill and injured patients.
Among the many ways they achieve this mission is through research grants, scholarships, and awards that help surgeons conduct investigator-led research. Dr Wei will use the 1-year, $40,000 research scholarship to support her research entitled "Augmenting Mitochondrial Function in Sepsis." Her translational research project will evaluate the potential of a novel gold-based compound, AuPhos, as a mitochondria-targeted therapeutic agent to improve clinical outcomes for critically-ill sepsis patients.
Dr. Wei joined the department in 2024 after completing a fellowship in surgical critical care and acute care surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She has specific research interests in the treatment of sepsis, traumatic brain injury management, and gut and respiratory dysfunction after spinal cord injury.