Dr. Terrell Awarded NIH Funding to Advance Rare Disease Research

Dr. Dee Terrell, from the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, is part of a newly funded NIH U54 grant through the United States Thrombotic Microangiopathy Alliance (USTMA). The project, titled “Initiation of a Cohort to Define Pathogenic Mechanisms, PrecisionDiagnosis, and Complications of Thrombotic Microangiopathies: The IMPACT Study,” is led by Dr. Robert Brodsky of Johns Hopkins University. Awardees are part of the NIH’s Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, which supports collaborative, multi-site research aimed at improving diagnosis, management, and treatment of rare diseases.

The IMPACT Study will establish a rare disease clinical research consortium to comprehensively evaluate outcomes across the lifespan of individuals with thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA). As the Oklahoma site principal investigator, Dr. Terrell will lead efforts to enroll patients with TTP and hTTP as part of the study’s pilot projects.

A key component of the grant is the Career Enhancement Core, co-led by Dr. Terrell and Dr. Spero Cataland. This program will provide research and clinical training in thrombotic microangiopathies, supporting the next generation of multidisciplinary experts. The initiative will offer a longitudinal training pathway—from medical students to early-career scholars—featuring mentored research experiences, professional development activities, and online learning modules. Dr. Terrell will oversee the application process, mentor matching, training module development, and program evaluation.