Katherine Yang, PharmD, MPH, UCSF School of Pharmacy assistant clinical professor, is one of nine UCSF faculty members awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support early career development of researchers.

The NIH Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Scholar Award funds Yang's research for the next 3 years. "My goal is to define the best ways to detect and treat pneumonia associated with the use of ventilators in hospital intensive care units," said Yang. "This is the most common 'non-social' cause of infection in the ICU." Early detection and treatment will enable health care professionals to:

• reduce the use of unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotics
• prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes, which are often referred to as "super bugs," and
• decrease patient mortality caused by ventilator-associated pneumonia.

More information: UCSF Names Clinical Research Scholars