by Danny Bonvissuto
Rogelio Coronado, PT, MPT, PhD, research assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, received the 2023 ACTS Outstanding Trainee: Early (Faculty) Career Development Award from the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS).
The award is given annually to a faculty member whose early-career work demonstrates high productivity, innovation and potential for changing clinical care.
“Dr. Coronado has impressed me from the moment of my arrival at VUMC,” said Rick Wright, MD, chief medical officer and Senior Vice President for Clinical Affairs. “His collaborative nature in working with teams to do rigorous science, while still understanding that research ultimately needs to impact patient lives, has made a real difference in the effectiveness of our department’s research efforts. He richly deserved this recognition.”
Criteria upon which candidates are judged include efforts with team science, publication and grant history, and potential for future funding.
Coronado presented preliminary results from his qualitative study of patient perceptions of nonpharmacological pain treatments.
“The field of clinical and translational science is vast,” Coronado said. “There are numerous early-career faculty making substantial contributions to the field who are well qualified to receive this honor. I am humbled at this recognition. For me, the award reflects the cumulative efforts of my mentors, research colleagues, clinical partners, research staff and patients who are willing to participate in our work.”
Katherine Hartmann, MD, PhD, Vice President for Research Integration and associate dean for Clinical and Translational Research, nominated Coronado for the award. She leads the Vanderbilt Faculty Research Scholars Program and National Institutes of Health training programs from which Coronado received support and funding for his research.
“He is an impressive and highly productive researcher who fully grasps the importance of multidisciplinary research and collaborates with investigators in Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Nursing, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and at the Osher Center for Integrative Health,” Hartmann said.
“This breadth is the heart and soul of novel translational research. Visibility of his work should help leverage new national connections and collaborations.”
Coronado looks forward to building on his early research success to establish a strong foundation and make important contributions to clinical care.
He is currently working with Sean Collins, MD, professor of Emergency Medicine, and Alan Storrow, MD, associate professor of Emergency Medicine and associate director for Research, to investigate nonpharmacological pain management strategies for patients seeking care in the Emergency Department for musculoskeletal pain.