# Transitions Among Discrete Clinical States During ICU Stays in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

> **NIH NIH F32** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $85,550

## Abstract

A. Project Summary and Abstract
The goals of this NRSA postdoctoral fellowship proposal are: 1) to facilitate Dr. Catherine Gao’s development
as an independent physician-scientist and an expert in the handling, integration, and computational analyses of
complex datasets, and 2) to model transitions between discrete clinical states during the ICU stays of patients
with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.
This proposal takes advantage of a unique dataset generated as part of the Successful Clinical Response in
Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT) Systems Biology Center led by Dr. Wunderink, the candidate's primary sponsor.
SCRIPT contains the electronic health record data, as well as rich expert clinician adjudication of outcomes.
Leveraging those data, in Aim 1, the applicant will use machine learning approaches to cluster and model distinct
clinical states over the course of ICU stays. In Aim 2, the candidate will identify features associated with
transitions towards favorable or unfavorable clinical states, looking specifically at the administration of specific
pharmaceuticals and the development of ventilator associated pneumonia. These data will further inform other
cores within SCRIPT to optimize the high resolution but sparsely available multiomic data.
The candidate and her mentors have used the unique research environment provided by SCRIPT to design a
detailed training plan tailored to the candidate’s specific needs and goals. The plan includes a rigorous research
component that lays the foundation for a successful career: 1) formalized coursework (including a Master’s in
Health and Biomedical Informatics) to learn computational skills to manage large electronic medical record
datasets and analyze multiomic data, 2) hands-on training through research plan and feedback from a
multidisciplinary team of mentors to become an independent physician-scientist.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10537554
- **Project number:** 1F32HL162377-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine A. Gao
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $85,550
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10537554

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10537554, Transitions Among Discrete Clinical States During ICU Stays in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia (1F32HL162377-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10537554. Licensed CC0.

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