By: Colorado BioScience Association & Boettcher Foundation
Grant Funds Advance Groundbreaking Health Innovation in the State
DENVER, May 22, 2025 — Boettcher Foundation and Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) proudly announce the 2025 Class of Boettcher Investigators, seven outstanding early-career biomedical researchers at three leading Colorado academic and research institutions. Each scientist will receive a $250,000 grant through the Boettcher Foundation’s Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program to support up to three years of independent scientific research, with total grant funding reaching $1.75 million.
This year’s class represents the next generation of scientific excellence and marks another milestone in Boettcher Foundation’s 16-year commitment to strengthening Colorado’s biomedical research ecosystem. The Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards provide crucial early-career support and position recipients to compete for additional private, state, and federal research funding.
“We are delighted to support our 2025 Boettcher Investigators, and as champions of their work, we are confident that these researchers will continue to spark new discoveries and drive innovation in medicine,” said Katie Kramer, president & CEO of the Boettcher Foundation. “The far-reaching impact of our Investigators’ research extends well beyond the lab—each advancement sets in motion a ripple effect that benefits patients, strengthens Colorado’s scientific community, and inspires future breakthroughs. We are proud to invest in these remarkable scientists, whose dedication and creativity are shaping a healthier future for all.”
Boettcher Investigators are advancing research in osteoarthritis, autism spectrum disorder, insulin-producing cells, type 2 diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases, and developmental and neurological disorders at Colorado State University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The 2025 Class of Boettcher Investigators includes:
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Lynn Pezzanite, DVM, PhD, Translational Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences – Role of autoantibodies to joint cellular antigens in osteoarthritis progression.
Christopher Vaaga, PhD, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences – Cerebellar synaptic dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL CAMPUS
Erin K. Englund, PhD, Department of Radiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine – Structural and functional evaluation of skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes with advanced, quantitative MRI.
Anna Helena Jonsson, MD, PhD, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine – Determining the pathogenic roles of granzyme K + CD8 T cells unexpectedly expanded in rheumatoid arthritis synovium and other diseased tissues.
Yunsik Kang, PhD, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology – Mechanisms of tweek-mediated lipid transfer during astrocyte phagocytosis.
Alexandra Nguyen, PhD, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology – Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of Cohesin regulation in DNA repair and disease.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER
Jennifer H. Hill, PhD, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, BioFrontiers Institute – Microbiota Shaping of Human Islets.
Since its inception, the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program has supported 113 Boettcher Investigators, including this year’s class, and awarded close to $27 million in grant funding. These researchers have gone on to secure more than $150 million in additional research funding from federal, state, and private sources.
“Colorado BioScience Association is grateful to the Boettcher Foundation for its continued investment in the next generation of scientific leaders in our state,” said Elyse Blazevich, president and CEO of Colorado BioScience Association. “The Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards provide essential early-career funding that empowers researchers to remain in Colorado and advance their discoveries within our world-class academic and research institutions. We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2025 class of Boettcher Investigators.”
For more information about the Webb-Waring Biomedical Research Awards Program, visit the Boettcher Foundation website.
Headshots of the individual recipients are available by request.
About the Boettcher Foundation
At Boettcher, we believe in the promise of Colorado and potential of Coloradans. Every day we build up and connect doers and difference makers from across the state, working to elevate people, programs, and organizations. Because by investing in Colorado leaders, we provide a foundation for transformational impact and community building.
About Colorado BioScience Association
Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) creates co-opportunity for the Colorado life sciences community. CBSA champions a collaborative life sciences ecosystem and advocates for a supportive business climate. From concept to commercialization, member companies and organizations drive global health innovations, products and services that improve and save lives. The association leads Capital and Growth, Education and Networking, Policy and Advocacy, and Workforce Cultivation to make its members stronger, together. Learn more: cobioscience.com
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Contact:
Curtis Esquibel
Boettcher Foundation
303.565.6291
curtis@boettcherfoundation.org
Sheliah Reynolds
Primavera Group for Colorado BioScience Association
720.289.4739
sheliah@theprimaveragroup.com
