Skip to main
Skip to main
University-wide Navigation

David Henson has been awarded a 2019 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship for his project entitled: Modulation of antibodies targeting apolipoprotein A-I to reduce atherosclerosis in a mouse model. The award is for $26,844 each year for two years. The purpose of the award is to enhance the integrated research and clinical training of promising students who are matriculated in pre-doctoral or clinical health professional degree training programs and who intend careers as scientists, physician-scientists or other clinician-scientists, or related careers aimed at improving global cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association funds basic, clinical, behavioral, translational and population research, bioengineering/biotechnology and public health problems broadly related to fulfilling their mission to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.

David earned his B.A. in Biology and Chemistry at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana. In 2014, he matriculated into the MD/PhD program at the University of Kentucky. During his first two years of medical school, David worked with Dr. Moises Huaman of the Division of Infectious Disease to study the relationship between tuberculosis and cardiovascular disease. For his graduate work, David joined Dr. Venditto's lab in the College of Pharmacy to study the role of antibodies in cardiovascular disease. In his graduate work, David has identified a novel cardiovascular biomarker consisting of ApoA-I and IgG and published a paper describing this finding in the Atherosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. He anticipates completing his graduate work in the department in the next year.  David's long term career interest is to work as an infectious disease physician with a research program focused on immunomodulation in transplant patients.

We wish to remember and honor those who inhabited this Commonwealth before the arrival of the Europeans. Briefly occupying these lands were the Osage, Wyndott tribe, and Miami peoples. The Adena and Hopewell peoples, who are recognized by the naming of the time period in which they resided here, were here more permanently. Some of their mounds remain in the Lexington area, including at UK’s Adena Park.

In more recent years, the Cherokee occupied southeast Kentucky, the Yuchi southwest Kentucky, the Chickasaw extreme western Kentucky and the Shawnee central Kentucky including what is now the city of Lexington. The Shawnee left when colonization pushed through the Appalachian Mountains. Lower Shawnee Town ceremonial grounds are still visible in Greenup County.

We honor the first inhabitants who were here, respect their culture, and acknowledge the presence of their descendants who are here today in all walks of life including fellow pharmacists and healthcare professionals.