Dr. Ana Maria Azzarolo

Dr. Ana Maria Azzarolo, Associate Professor at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Biomedical Science has been invited to become a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Health (NIH), anterior eye disease (AED) study section.

This is an important acknowledgement of her status in her research discipline. This accomplishment follows a recent award of competitive NIH funding to continue her research program.

Dr. Azzarolo's research focuses on finding the causes and cure of Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that affects over 4 million people in the United States alone, and among other things is characterized by a progressive dysfunction and destruction of the glands that produce tears which leads to eye dryness, and the glands that produce saliva which leads to dry mouth.

Participation in a study section is one of the best opportunities to learn which research applications are determined to represent cutting edge proposals and typically is comprised of researchers who are considered field leading experts.