Dr. Nae Dun, professor and researcher for ETSU’s James H Quillen College of Medicine, recently received an esteemed award from the National Institute of Health.
Dun, chairman/professor of the department of pharmacology, received the Javits Investigator Award from the Neurological Disorders and Stroke division of the National Institute of Health.
The NIH is the major funding source for medical research, especially biomedical research, across the nation.
The Javits Investigator Award was established in 1983 in honor of Sen. Jacob Javits, who died of a degenerative neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
This well-regarded award is a seven-year grant for research and is awarded to selected scientists who have demonstrated scientific productivity and excellence.
The award is initially for a period of four years, but can be extended for three more years after an administrative review.
“I am elated because this is a very prestigious award,” Dun said.
Dun, who has been researching since 1970, will be allotted seven years of funding for the research on the neural peptides that fight pain and regulate blood pressure. Dun said this project will bring ETSU an estimated $2 million across seven years.
Dun works with a group who assists as well as researches neural peptides.
“I have a group of very dedicated collaborators in my lab,” Dun said. “I would like to acknowledge my collaborators for their dedication.”
Dun received his B.S. degree from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy and his Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago. He has been an ETSU faculty member since 1997.

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