Advancing Translational Excellence in Trauma, Critical Care and Neurovascular Science

Louisville Clinical & Translational Research Center Announces Round 3 Presidential Scholars

As part of the Louisville Clinical and Translational Research Center’s (LCTRC) ongoing mission to cultivate the next generation of independent investigators, the prestigious Presidential Scholars Program has announced its Round 3 awardees. This flagship initiative provides junior faculty with 50% protected time and dedicated institutional mentorship to accelerate high-impact clinical and translational research.

The work of Dr. Bobby Keskey and Dr. Redi Rahmani exemplifies emerging leadership in trauma microbiome research and neurovascular disease. Collectively, their investigations advance translational medicine at the University of Louisville by bridging acute clinical challenges with mechanistic inquiry, therapeutic innovation, and the optimization of outcomes for critically ill patient populations.

Transforming Trauma Care Through Microbiome Science: The Keskey Lab

Dr. Bobby Keskey, Assistant Professor of Surgery, leads a program focused on one of the most rapidly evolving areas in critical care: the gut microbiome’s role in trauma, infection, and survival. His research explores how severe injury and critical illness disrupt the gut’s microbial ecosystem—and how those disruptions shape immune responses, pathogen virulence, and clinical outcomes.

Understanding the Gut Microbiota in Critical Illness

Keskey’s work demonstrates that trauma and sepsis trigger profound shifts in gut microbial composition and function. These changes are not merely byproducts of illness—they actively influence the risk of infection, organ failure, and mortality. His studies show:

• Early dysbiosis predicts infectious complications
• Microbial metabolites such as indoles and butyrate correlate with survival
• Antibiotic exposure can worsen outcomes by destabilizing microbial communities
• Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can rescue survival in lethal infection models

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“My mission is to advance the understanding of how critical illness and traumatic injury disrupt the gut microbiota and its metabolic functions, and how these changes influence host immunity, bacterial virulence, and infectious complications. Through mechanistic and translational research, we seek to develop microbiota‑directed therapies that improve nutrition, prevent infection, and enhance recovery for critically ill and injured patients.”

Innovating Neurovascular Therapeutics: The Rahmani Lab

Dr. Redi Rahmani, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, directs the Cerapex Laboratory—an interdisciplinary neurovascular research program focused on intracranial aneurysms, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), vascular inflammation, and cerebrovascular injury.

His work integrates clinical neurosurgery, molecular biology, engineering, and translational therapeutics to address some of the most devastating neurological emergencies.

Mechanistic Discovery in Cerebrovascular Disease

The management of complex cerebrovascular pathologies has relied almost exclusively on invasive surgical and endovascular interventions, leaving a critical therapeutic gap for medical management and prevention. Dr. Rahmani’s research addresses this urgent clinical challenge by shifting the paradigm toward targeted pharmacological interventions. His research investigates:

• Aneurysm formation, progression, and rupture
• Neurovascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction
• White matter injury following SAH
• Environmental and inhaled toxicants (smoking, vaping, aldehydes) and their vascular effects
• Spatial proteomics and molecular profiling of neurovascular injury

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“Cerapex Laboratory is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of cerebral neurovascular diseases through the integration of clinical expertise and innovative basic science research. Our mission is to translate mechanistic discoveries into effective therapies that improve outcomes for patients with cerebrovascular disorders.”

A Shared Vision for Translational Impact

Both investigators embody the LCTRC’s core mission to support research that bridges science and clinical practice. As Presidential Scholars, their research programs are uniquely positioned to generate high‑impact publications, secure national funding, and build enduring clinical‑research pipelines across the UofL Health Sciences Center.

Click here to learn more about the Presidential Scholarship Program.