Hackensack Meridian Health has been awarded 27 grants worth nearly $1.1 million from the New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF) for vital research and community health projects.
The grants will support work across the state’s largest and most comprehensive health care network, benefitting basic and clinical research at the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, as well as research at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and other sites around the Garden State.
"The level of funding from the New Jersey Health Foundation represents a vital resource for the innovative and important research conducted across our network," said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. "These grants represent more than just crucial support for our researchers, they serve as an investment towards the future of health care and patient care."
The research topics to be supported by the grants include improving cognitive wellness in senior citizens, utilizing acupuncture for symptom management in cancer patients, harnessing light to treat hematological malignancies and various other critical health-related subjects.
Hackensack Meridian Health and the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute have now been awarded approximately $3.7 million in grants from the NJHF dating back to 2023. The 27 grants awarded this year marks a slight increase from 25 grants awarded last year.
"Our partnership with the New Jersey Health Foundation is something we value very highly," said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS. Dr. Sawczuk also serves as president of Academics, Research and Innovation for Hackensack Meridian Health and is the founding chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute. “Thanks to this funding, our researchers are better positioned to make critical breakthroughs."
"We are deeply thankful to the New Jersey Health Foundation for continuing to recognize and invest in the vital research and community health projects that are of such consequence to the residents in communities all across New Jersey - and beyond,” said Joyce P. Hendricks, president and chief development officer of Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation.
“We are proud to support Hackensack Meridian Health and its many innovative projects,” said Jim Golubieski, president & CEO of New Jersey Health Foundation. “Alongside our prior support, these projects reflect a continued commitment to long-term impact and progress.”
These grants bring Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation one step closer to its $1 billion fundraising goal as part of its Be The Difference campaign, the largest fundraising campaign ever undertaken by a health care network in New Jersey.
Launched in September 2024, Be The Difference is a transformational effort focusing on four key pillars: enhancing the delivery of patient care, accelerating groundbreaking research and discovery, expanding access to care for all and revolutionizing medical education while supporting the nursing profession. Through this ambitious initiative, Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation aims to reshape health care for patients, clinicians and the diverse communities it serves, paving the way for a brighter, healthier future.
Based in Princeton, the New Jersey Health Foundation fosters a culture of innovation in New Jersey by supporting research to cure diseases and find solutions to health-related needs. It also supports donor-specified research and educational programs through the management of an endowment portfolio.
Grants
Jenny Bernard, DNP, MBA, MSN, APN
$35,000
JFK University Medical Center, Hackensack University Medical Center
“The Fourth Trimester Intervention and Blue Bracelet Study”
Tanchun Wang, Ph.D.
$35,000.00
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
“Mind in Motion: A Community Initiative to Improve Cognitive Wellness in Seniors from Underserved Community”
Soemiwati Holland, M.D., MBA
$50,000.00
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Jersey Shore University Medical Center
“Variation in Thyroid Function at Different Stages of The Menstrual Cycle in Healthy Reproductive-age Women”
Aditi Mathur, M.D.
$34,816.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Characterizing Sleep Disturbances in Interstitial Lung Disease Using Wearable Technology”
Muftiya Issa
$35,000.00
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
“Bridging Gaps in Cancer Care: Integrative Acupuncture for Symptom Management and Access Equity for Underserved Cancer Patients”
Johannes Zakrzewski, M.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“Harnessing light for targeted therapy of hematological malignancies”
Miguel Gonzalez-Velez, M.D.
$50,000.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Utility of Dynamic Inflammatory Cytokine Panel in Phase I Oncology Trials”
Piero Dalerba, M.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“Repurposing enfortumab-vedotin, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting Nectin-4, for the treatment of human Adenoid Cystic Carcinomas (ACCs).”
Pallavi Doddakashi, M.D.
$34,953.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“HOPE: Harmonizing Opioid Planning and Education for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Patients Undergoing Curative Therapy”
Vidmantas Petraitis, M.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
“Identification and characterization of a hit compound, A12, a small-molecule inhibitor of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa SOS response”
Prerna Trivedy, M.D.
$35,000.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Assessing the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Bundled Safety Intervention for Caregivers of At-Risk Youth in the ED”
Sara Cuccurullo, M.D.
$35,000.00
JFK University Medical Center
“Supporting Transition And Recovery After Stroke (STARS) program: Improving Risk Factor Management and Secondary Prevention in Stroke Survivors”
Rakesh Chhabra, M.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack University Medical Center
“Comparing the Use of the Continuous Glucose Monitor Versus Intermittent Point-of-Care Glucose Testing for Monitoring Blood Glucose in Infants at Risk for Hypoglycemia”
Anthony Scholer, M.D., FACS
$35,000.00
Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean University Medical Center
“A Cognition-Focused Perioperative Optimization Pathway to Reduce Postoperative Delirium in Frail Surgical Oncology Patients”
Biren Bhatt, M.D.
$35,000.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Battlefield acupressure for acute pain management in the Emergency Department: Evaluating whether auricular acupressure can reduce opiate administration for painful conditions”
Jansy Sarathy, Ph.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“Characterization of RecBCD as a novel drug target in Mycobacterium tuberculosis”
Amruta Bamanikar, M.D.
$35,000.00
Jersey Shore University Medical Center, JFK University Medical Center
“Using Technology To Elevate Parental Discharge Preparedness In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit At Jersey Shore University Medical Center”
Megan Mitchell, Ph.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“Identification of Placenta-Specific Extracellular Vesicle Biomarkers of Invasive Placentation Using Patient-Derived Organoid Models”
Janice Dibling, M.S.
$35,000.00
JFK University Medical Center
“Comprehensive Wellness Program for Patients with Parkinson's Disease and their Caregivers”
Angelica Del Vecchio, Ph.D.
$33,857.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Optimizing Geriatric Surgical Outcomes and Quality of Life: The Role of Frailty and Perioperative Physical Activity”
Alvin Makohon-Moore, Ph.D.
$35,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“2026 HMH-CDI Summer Research Scholar Program”
Elli Gourna Paleoudis, Ph.D.
$35,000.00
Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute
“The Clinical Research Acceleration & Methods (CRAM) Track”
Isabella Kocienski, RN
$35,000.00
Ocean University Medical Center
“Beyond the Braden: Using Hospital Data to Predict Skin Problems Before They Start”
Binfeng Lu, Ph.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“Study of Immune Resistance Mechanisms in Cytokine-Based Immunotherapy for Human Solid Cancers”
Benjamin Tycko, M.D., Ph.D.
$50,000.00
Center for Discovery and Innovation
“Functional genomics to develop biomarkers for multiple sclerosis”
Karen Eigen, M.D.
$35,000.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Maintaining Continuous Medicaid Coverage for Eligible Children in New Jersey”
Shelley Saber, M.D.
$35,000.00
Hackensack University Medical Center
“Mom-entum: A Mobile Application-Based Intervention to Improve Exercise in Pregnancy and Beyond”
To support the work being done at the Center for Discovery and Innovation, or to learn more, visit GiveHMH.org/CDI.