Dr. Robert SorgeThe Rita Allen Foundation supports research in the fields of cancer, immunology, and neuroscience. The Scholars named by the Foundation each year are leaders in their respective fields and focus on early-stage conditions, advancing our understanding of human health.Sorge’s research explores the interplay between addiction and pain, as well as how the immune system can influence the perception of pain. The Rita Allen Foundation will grant Sorge $50,000 per year for up to three years to support his work.
“By investing in outstanding biomedical scientists at the early stages of their careers, we are providing resources to these scholars to pioneer new approaches and discoveries,” said Elizabeth Christopherson, president and chief executive officer of the Rita Allen Foundation.
Other recipients of the 2015 grants include scientists from Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, New York University and others.
“Being chosen to be a Rita Allen Scholar is an honor.” Sorge says. “To be in such company with other biomedical scientists will elevate my work, and the Rita Allen Foundation will provide the necessary backing to allow me to pursue my research on the impact of an American-like diet on the immune system. We will also develop a diet that is aimed at reducing inflammation in the hopes of providing the basis for a future clinical trial.”
The Rita Allen Foundation Scholars program has supported more than 140 scientists since 1976. The program embraces innovative research with above-average risk and groundbreaking possibilities. Scholars who have been supported by the Foundation have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Medicine, and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. The Foundation has supported more than 140 scientists since 1976.
