Resident, Trainee, and Student Grants and Awards

Yuanjia received the Senior Resident Philip E. Oyer, MD, PhD, Award for 2026

The Paul C. Samson Resident Prize is awarded to a resident who is the presenting author of a podium presentation at the annual Meeting. The selection of the winner is determined not only by the resident's presentation, but also by the manuscript itself.

The Vivien Thomas Early Career Investigator Award acknowledges the accomplishments of early career investigator members of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia (CVSA) who are focusing on fundamental and applied surgical research.

The award is named in honor of Vivien T. Thomas, a key player in pioneering the anastomosis of the subclavian artery to the pulmonary artery. The surgical work he performed with Dr. Alfred Blalock paved the way for the successful outcome of the Blalock-Taussig shunt in 1944.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship by the National Institutes of Health  

Funding Year: 7/1/2021-6/30/2023

During this fellowship, Dr. Zhu proposes to study the ex vivo biomechanics of mitral valve repair operations for mitral valve prolapse followed by in vivo validation using large animal cardiac surgery models.

Funding Years: 2019 – 2021

Yuanjia was awarded the Thoracic Surgery Foundation Resident Research Fellowship for her project titled "Bioengineered Autologous Cytokine-eluting Arterialized Conduits using Tri-Layered Cell Sheet Technology." This two-year grant is administered through The Thoracic Surgery Foundation. The proposed project focuses on bioengineering a novel, autologous, cytokine-eluting, arterialized vessel conduit using cell sheet technology. Yuanjia proposed to characterize in vivo efficacy and investigate the impact of the bioengineered conduit in a rodent hindlimb ischemia model. The results from this study may guide researchers and healthcare providers towards a novel, translatable revascularization therapy.

Award Year: 2020

The TSDA Benson R. Wilcox Award was established in 2010 to acknowledge the best scientific abstract submitted by a cardiothoracic surgery resident to The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting. This annual award honors Dr. Wilcox’s many contributions to the TSDA and thoracic surgery education.

Dr. Zhu received the award for Bilateral versus Single Internal Mammary Artery Grafts for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery in the United States – A Study of Over One Million Patients

Dr. Lye-Yeng Wong's abstract for the 2023 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting, "The Impact of Age and Need for Emergent Surgery in Paraesophageal Hernia Repair Outcomes," was awarded the Richard E. Clark Memorial Paper for General Thoracic Surgery. This recognition represents top-rated abstracts at the meeting. Its full manuscript was recently accepted by The Annals.

Matthew received the Junior Resident and Overall Philip E. Oyer, MD, PhD, Award for 2026

Cardiothoracic Surgery Resident Dr. Matthew Duda Receives Prestigious Research Fellowship

Dr. Duda was awarded the NIH T32: Mechanisms and Innovations in Cardiovascular Disease Training Grant, a competitive two-year award that supports postdoctoral research in basic and translational cardiovascular science. His project, titled “Fibroblast Klf4 Expression Attenuates Sex-Specific Aortic Root Aneurysm Formation in a Murine Model of Marfan Syndrome,” explores critical mechanisms underlying aortic disease. While the project represents a slight shift in focus from his originally awarded research, it focuses on the molecular drivers of aortic pathology. Dr. Duda is conducting this research in the Stanford Thoracic Aortic Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Michael Fischbein.

Learn more about the T32 program: NIH T32 CVI Program

In the News: Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgery Residents’ Research Achievements Recognized by the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute

The Marfan Foundation announced $1.44 million in new research grants in 2025 to support high-impact projects — including work in the Stanford lab of Dr. Michael Fischbein and the Victor McKusick Fellowship awarded to resident Dr. Matthew Duda — aimed at advancing understanding and treatment of Marfan syndrome and related genetic aortic conditions. 

Matthew Duda, MD, integrated cardiothoracic surgery resident and postdoctoral research fellow with the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford, was awarded the Jason Han Trainee Teaching Award from the Thoracic Surgery Medical Student Association (TSMA). The highly respected award is given annually to an outstanding resident or fellow pursuing cardiothoracic surgery in recognition of their commitment to medical student education and mentorship.

Read more about Dr. Duda’s TSMA Jason Han Trainee Teaching Award.

• Looking to the Future Scholarship

Funding Year: 2019

• Grand Prize Stanford Medical Student Research Symposium   

Funding Year: 2019

• Boring Trust iHeart Research

Funding Year: 2018 – 2019

• Stanford Biodesign NEXT Fellow
  

Funding Year: 2018

• MedScholars Medical Student Research Fellowship

Funding Year: 2018 – Present

Funding Years: 2020–2021

Awarded for "Modulating genome architecture to understand the pathogenesis of Dilated Cardiomyopathy"

LMNA is one of the most frequently mutated genes in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). LMNA-related DCM is an incurable disease characterized by cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. How mutations in LMNA lead to DCM is poorly understood, translating to the lack of disease-specific therapies. Our overarching goal is to uncover how LMNA mutations induce DCM and thereby develop new tailored therapies for LMNA-related DCM through leveraging new technologies. The LMNA gene encodes A-type lamin proteins, a major component of the inner nuclear lamina. Lamin A plays a critical role in nuclear function via interactions with chromatin at specific regions called lamina-associated domains (LADs). Recently, we have successfully modeled LMNA-related DCM using induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and shown that lamin A mutations disrupted LAD integrity and dysregulated critical signaling pathways that govern calcium homeostasis and cardiac rhythm. Preliminary data implicated a dysregulation of the PRRX1 gene downstream of disrupted LADs. Based on these findings, we propose the central hypothesis that a LMNA mutation impairs specific LADs and destabilize the chromatin organization, resulting in aberrant expression of genes critical to cardiac physiology. In this project, we aim to delineate the role of chromatin architecture in LMNA-related DCM. We will also develop a novel strategy to modulate the local genome organization. We will utilize a new CRISPR-mediated technology (CLOuD9) to selectively modify the PRRX1 locus and restore the endogenous genome organization to the healthy state. In summary, by combining new technologies, including patient-specific iPSC models of LMNA-related DCM, genomics, epigenomics, and high-throughput functional assays, our study will provide an unprecedented understanding of the relationship between alteration of chromatin architecture and DCM, paving the way for the development of novel mechanism-based therapeutics.

Project title: Evaluating stem cell function of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells as a potential strategy for lung injury repair on ex vivo lung perfusion in a swine model.

Project title: Ex vivo electrical, functional, structural characterization of ventricular arrhythmias in perfused human hearts under different loading conditions

Project title: Elucidating the effect of ischemia reperfusion injury and oxidative stress using a beating heart transplantation model

The North American Aortic Valve Repair Symposium (AVRS) awarded Dr. Ashley Choi a scholarship to attend the 5th annual conference on September 9-10, 2022. The purpose of the scholarship for trainees was to learn from experts from around the world about various surgical techniques for aortic root and valve reconstruction. The symposium featured videos of surgical procedures, presentations of clinical data and outcomes, panel discussions with experts in the field, and hands-on and interactive sessions.

Dr. Krishnan, a recipient of the NIH T32 fellowship, is conducting his research in vascular biology with a focus on “Restoring Bronchial Vasculature After Lung Transplantation”. His team uses nanofiber thin films that locally release angiogenic and immunosuppressive drugs to enhance targeted healing. One key approach involves Deferoxamine-loaded films to support airway healing post-transplant. Dr. Krishnan is conducting this research in the Cardiothoracic Advanced Surgical Materials Laboratory, led by Dr. John W. MacArthur. Their work has been published in top journals and is protected by multiple patents.

Learn more and watch the recording here: Nano-structured, deferoxamine-eluting thin films significantly improve airway perfusion in translational animal models of lung transplantation.

In the News: Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgery Residents’ Research Achievements Recognized by the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute