# BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · WM S. MIDDLETON MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSP · 2022 · —

## Abstract

This proposed Research Career Scientist award is to support the activities of Dr. Nihal Ahmad, an
established Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigator, allowing him to expand his scientific, mentoring
and service contributions. Dr. Ahmad’s long-term goal is to improve the quality of human life, including that of
Veterans, through my research. Dr. Ahmad’s laboratory focuses on two broad and complementary research
areas: 1) cancer biology and 2) prevention and experimental therapeutics of cancer. The major goal of his
ongoing research is to define the critical molecular and biochemical events that occur during cancer
development and progression to help identify novel targets and strategies for cancer management. While Dr.
Ahmad’s laboratory is involved in understanding epithelial cancer in general, his major recent focus has been
on skin- and prostate- cancers, both of which disproportionally affect the Veteran population.
 Dr. Ahmad’s current VA sponsored research focuses on identifying the mechanism of melanoma
development and progression. Importantly, melanoma is among the five most frequently diagnosed cancers
among VA cancer patients. In addition, the US military engages in missions all over the world, including
recently in the Middle East (Iraq and Afghanistan). Deployment to these regions is associated with significant
UV radiation exposure that increases the risk for malignant melanoma in the Veterans returning from these
areas. Thus, Dr. Ahmad’s research findings may lead to identification of novel strategies for the management
of this deadly neoplasm; and is relevant and significant to the health care of Veterans and directly in line with
the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The results of Dr. Ahmad’s research are published in a wide
range of high-impact scientific journals. He has published more than 208 papers, 176 published abstracts and
several book chapters (I have published more than 208 papers, 176 published abstracts and several book
chapters (Total Citations: 28,413; h-index, 83; i10-index: 172; Source: Google Scholar; 08/2021).
 Dr. Ahmad is internationally recognized researcher. He serves as an Associate Editor of multiple well-
respected journals, namely Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Journal of Oncology, Journal of Skin
Cancer, and Frontiers in Oncology and Photochemistry and Photobiology, and he is a member of the Editorial
Board for several other journals. He is regularly invited to participate in the peer-review of grants for national
and international funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.
He has recently completed his term as a Charter Member of the Radiation Therapeutics and Biology (RTB)
Study Section of the NIH. In addition, he has mentored numerous junior scientists at all levels (undergraduate,
graduate, post-doctoral, and junior faculty). Most of his previous trainees/mentees have been successful in
obtaining independent positions in ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10481027
- **Project number:** 1IK6BX006041-01
- **Recipient organization:** WM S. MIDDLETON MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSP
- **Principal Investigator:** Nihal Ahmad
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10481027

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10481027, BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application (1IK6BX006041-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10481027. Licensed CC0.

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