MaineHealth Institute for Research

04/28/2026

We’re proud to share that clinician faculty from the MaineHealth Institute for Research and MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital had a record number of presentations at the 2026 Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting, held April 24–27 in Boston.

PAS connects thousands of pediatric researchers, clinicians, and educators from around the world with a shared mission to advance scientific discovery and innovation in child and adolescent health. MaineHealth clinicians, researchers, and team members were part of this global exchange, presenting across a broad range of pediatric and specialty topics.

Congratulations to all who represented MaineHealth at PAS 2026. 👏

https://www.pas-meeting.org/2026-meeting/

04/27/2026

We’re pleased to share that collaborative work from Faculty Scientist Arturo Hernandez, PhD, was recently featured on the cover of Genes & Development.

The study reveals how DIO3 acts as a master regulator of photoreceptor development timing and fate stability in human retinal organoids, offering important insights for retinal biology and regenerative strategies.

Congratulations to Dr. Hernandez and his collaborators on this work.👏

Read the full article: https://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/40/1-2/70

04/24/2026

A recent publication highlight from Faculty Scientist Arturo Hernandez, PhD:

Dr. Hernandez was first author of a commentary in The Journal of Clinical Investigation discussing new findings that suggest dietary stress may directly impair thyroid function before weight gain occurs, challenging traditional views of hypothyroidism and energy balance.

A timely perspective connecting metabolism, diet, and thyroid health.

Diet’s rapid effects on the thyroid gland challenge unidirectional assumptions about hypothyroidism and energy balance: https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI205029

Arturo Hernandez & Francesco S. Celi comment on Rampy et al.: https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI194207

04/23/2026

Clinical trials at MaineHealth are helping to advance medical research and bring new treatments to patients. Each study plays a vital role in improving health outcomes for our communities and beyond.

View current clinical trials: https://mhir.org/clinical-trials-office-2/current-clinical-trials-at-mainehealth/

04/22/2026

🎉Congratulations to Faculty Scientist Aaron Brown, PhD, on receiving support from the Davis Foundation for a new discovery-focused study exploring how microRNAs (miR‑27a and miR‑27b) regulate bone loss and repair.

This work will generate foundational insights to guide future strategies for preventing or reversing bone loss and improving fracture repair, particularly for individuals at risk for osteoporosis.

04/21/2026

Over the past several months, we’ve been excited to welcome talented new researchers who are strengthening our scientific community:

🎉 Anny Fenton, PhD, has joined the Center of Interdisciplinary Population Health Research. Her work focuses on improving help‑seeking and communication for adult children caring for parents with cancer across urban and rural settings.

🎉Qingchu Jin, PhD, has joined the Center for Molecular Medicine. Dr. Jin brings expertise in computational biology and healthcare AI, with a focus on clinical prediction, real‑time risk modeling, and multimodal approaches to understanding childhood growth and metabolic trajectories.

🎉Yanming Li, PhD has also joined the Center for Molecular Medicine. Her research uses advanced single‑cell and multi‑omics approaches to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving cardiovascular disease, with the goal of informing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

We look forward to the impact of their work and how it will foster meaningful collaboration across our centers!

04/16/2026

Recently published work, led by Ally Hinton, PhD, along with MaineHealth clinicians Edmund Sears, MD and Jonathan Zuckerman, MD, examines how COVID-19–related care changes and the introduction of highly effective CFTR modulators have reshaped cystic fibrosis care delivery in the U.S.

Using national CF Foundation Patient Registry data (2017–2022), the study shows meaningful shifts in visit patterns, including longer intervals between visits, evolving care models, and persistent disparities by race, insurance status, and geographic distance from care centers—highlighting both progress and ongoing equity gaps in CF care.

Read the full article:

Introduction Novel therapeutics and rapid expansion of telehealth have reshaped cystic fibrosis (CF) care; however, the impact on visit patterns and equitable access across the CF population remains...

04/15/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Madeleine Nowak! 🎓

We are excited to announce that Madeleine Nowak successfully defended her dissertation,” Systemic and Epigenetic Regulation of Mesoderm Specific Transcript in Obesity," yesterday!

We are looking forward to seeing what’s next for Dr. Nowak as she continues her research journey.

04/14/2026

Congratulations to Ryan Close, MD, Clinical Faculty with the Center for Interdisciplinary Population & Health Research and MaineHealth internal medicine physician, on recently receiving funding for Remote Patient–Centered Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Assessment, Risk Reduction, and Engagement (RP-CKM CARE).

This project will evaluate a scalable remote patient management model—working with pharmacists—to improve care for patients with Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome, particularly in rural settings where access to primary care is limited. By addressing multiple conditions through remote care, the work aims to strengthen care delivery and reduce rural–urban health disparities.

04/13/2026

Recently published work out of the Rosen lab, led by Dr. Samantha Costa, showed that the expansion of bone marrow adipocytes promoted osteoclast differentiation and subsequently led to obesity-related trabecular and cortical bone loss through a stimulatory effect of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis.

These insights lay important groundwork for future research and translational efforts to improve care for patients affected by obesity‑related bone loss.

Read the full article:

Bone marrow adipocytes are known to have a critical role within the bone marrow niche. However, our understanding of bone marrow adipose tissue expansion with obesity and the role it plays in immune cell regulation and osteoclastogenesis is limited. Here, we showed the expansion of bone marrow adipo...

04/08/2026

New publication from the Reagan Lab and collaborators in Blood Neoplasia.

This study examines how the bone marrow environment—particularly FABP4/5 (fatty acid–binding proteins involved in metabolism and immune signaling) — can influence multiple myeloma progression. Using patient data and animal models, the team found that reducing FABP4/5 activity reshaped immune and metabolic signals in ways that limited tumor growth and improved survival.

Together, these findings point to the bone marrow environment as an important, but often overlooked, treatment target—and suggest new ways to strengthen current myeloma therapies.

Read the full paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950328026000403
In this video, Dr. Reagan shares more about her lab’s research focus in multiple myeloma.

04/07/2026

Last week, Carolyn Chlebek, PhD, Research Fellow in the Rosen Lab, was honored with a New Investigator Recognition Award (NIRA) at the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC. This competitive award recognizes early-career investigators based on the quality and presentation of their podium abstracts—an incredible honor and well deserved. (Pictured: Carolyn at the podium and with fellow award recipients.)
Learn more about the NIRA: https://www.ors.org/ors-new-investigator-recognition-awards/

Looking ahead, Carolyn will continue this momentum as she attends the Advances in Mineral Metabolism meeting this week in Colorado. She was selected to receive the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) John Haddad Young Investigator Award, which supports her participation and includes the opportunity to deliver an oral presentation of her work.

Congratulations, Carolyn, on these well-earned recognitions and for representing the Rosen Lab on the national stage! 👏