In 2015, Dr Jason H. Karnes was a fellow at Vanderbilt University. He applied for an ACCP Futures Grant to study the pharmacogenomics of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. His findings provided preliminary data for a larger study funded by the American Heart Association. Acquiring the ACCP Futures Grant so early in his career enabled him to enter his first faculty appointment with extramural funding. As noted by Karnes, this was highly valued by his new employer.

I was able to transfer it (the Futures Grant) to the University of Arizona, and that actually enabled me to come right in the door in my first faculty position with extramural funding. This was certainly a leg up and was definitely noticed by the other faculty within my department.

Karnes also testified to the fact that small grant acquisition is an important factor when being considered for larger grants.

Now Karnes is the John A. and Frances P. Ware Endowed Department Head for the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona. He also serves as the director of scientific programs for the University of Arizona-Banner All of Us Research Program. Karnes’ primary area of research interest is cardiovascular pharmacogenomics, specifically investigating the utility of genetic polymorphisms to predict toxicities of cardiovascular drugs. He is an active member of ACCP, the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the American Heart Association.

Karnes earned his Pharm.D. degree at the University of Florida in 2008. He remained there to pursue a PhD degree in clinical pharmaceutical sciences with a focus on the pharmacogenomics of adverse metabolic effects of antihypertensive drugs under the mentorship of Drs Julie Johnson and Rhonda Cooper-DeHoff. In 2012, he began a research fellowship at Vanderbilt University under the mentorship of Dr Dan Roden. At Vanderbilt, his research studies focused on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics, and he served as the Jason D. Morrow Chief Fellow for the Division of Clinical Pharmacology. In 2015, he joined the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science.

Karnes attended the ACCP Focused Investigator Training (FIT) program in 2016 and now, less than 10 years later, has received support for his research from the American Heart Association, the Flinn Foundation, and the NIH, including R01, R21, and K01 grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The Karnes Laboratory supports the work of 10 additional researchers and students and is focused on becoming one of the most renowned and successful laboratories in the field of pharmacogenomics. The laboratory also highly prioritizes training the next generation of scientists and clinicians. Karnes’ ultimate career goal is to help patients avoid serious cardiovascular drug toxicities through facilitating personalized cardiovascular medicine and genotype-guided prescribing.

Futures grants are supported through donations to the ACCP Foundation. Donate here to help the ACCP Foundation continue supporting the development of research skills among student, trainee, and early-career ACCP members.