Of Note

April 2023

Gabriela Asturias

The medical student received a Student Leader in Global Health award from the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. The award honors trainees who have created a program or innovative product that helps people in low-income settings or the environment. Asturias, a Guatemalan native, earned the award for launching the Asistente de Logística Médica Automatizada initiative in Guatemala. Originally created to automate the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 cases, the organization now provides information on vaccines, water and foodborne illnesses, and acute respiratory infections. Recipients are awarded $600 to support ongoing global health activities. Learn more here.

Michele Barry, MD

The senior associate dean of global health, the Drs. Ben and A. Jess Shenson Professor, and director of the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health has received the Distinguished Leadership award, the highest honor bestowed by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. The award honors recipients for their contributions to improving global health through research, education, advocacy and/or service. Learn more here.

Valerie Chock, MD, Susan Hintz, MD, and Krisa Van Meurs, MD

Chock, associate professor of neonatology; Hintz, professor of neonatal and developmental medicine as well as the Robert L. Hess Family Professor; and Van Meurs, professor of neonatal and developmental medicine, emerita, have received a nearly $4 million grant from the Neonatal Research Network, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The grant will support collaborative, multicenter clinical trials designed to improve health care and outcomes for newborns. Stanford is one of 15 centers around the country to be awarded the grant. Learn more here.

Desmond Edwards, Freja Ekman, Omair Khan and Steven Truong

Stanford Medicine students Edwards (PhD in microbiology and immunology), Ekman (MD and PhD in genetics), Khan (MD and PhD in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine) and Truong (MD and PhD in biosciences) have been named 2023 fellows by the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. Chosen for their achievements and potential to make meaningful contributions to the United States, each will receive up to $90,000 to support their graduate studies. They are among 30 fellows named for 2023, out of a pool of nearly 2,000 applicants. Learn more here.

Teodor Grantcharov, MD, PhD, and Serena Yeung, PhD

Professor of surgery Grantcharov and Yeung, an assistant professor of biomedical data science, have been named co-principal investigators on a research project through the Wellcome Leap SAVE (Surgery: Assess/Validate/Expand) program. The goal of the team’s project, which includes a multimillion-dollar award, is to advance surgery using computer vision and explicit technical knowledge. The goal of the SAVE program is to double the number of surgical providers per year, to an additional 100,000 within a decade. Learn more here.

Jinkyung Kim, PhD, and Anthony Ricci, PhD

Research associate Kim and Ricci, professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and director of the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss, have received the 2022 Cozzarelli Prize. The award from the National Academy of Sciences is in recognition of their translational research paper, “In vivo real-time imaging reveals megalin as the aminoglycoside gentamicin transporter into cochlea whose inhibition is otoprotective,” which identifies a therapeutic target for preventing antibiotic-induced hearing loss. Learn more here.

Angela Lumba-Brown, MD

The clinical associate professor of emergency medicine and of pediatrics has been appointed, for the second time, to the Center for Disease Control Board of Scientific Counselors. The three-year appointment was made by the Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Learn more here.

Michelle Odden, PhD, and David Rehkopf, ScD

Associate professors Odden (of epidemiology and population health) and Rehkopf (of epidemiology and population health and of medicine) have been awarded a five-year, nearly $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will fund the Population Health Aging Research – Advancing Health Equity and Diversity program, in which college students from underrepresented and historically excluded groups spend the summer conducting research with Stanford faculty mentors. Learn more here.

March 2023

Rania Awaad, MD

The clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences has been recognized as one of the top women in faith leaders in the U.S. for her work on mental health in Muslim faith communities. The recognition was celebrated at a recent event, Women on the Frontlines: Celebrating Women Faith Leaders. Hosted by Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, the event honored 15 women faith leaders for their work and leadership in the service of humanity. Learn more here.

Kyle Daniels, PhD

The assistant professor of genetics received a grant from the Hypothesis Fund. The $82,000 grant will support his project exploring whether machine learning can predict synthetic biology solutions that guide cell differentiation of medically relevant cell types. The Hypothesis Fund advances scientific knowledge by supporting early-stage, innovative research that increases our adaptability against systemic risks to the health of people and the planet. Learn more here.

Lipika Goyal, PhD, MPhil

Goyal, an associate professor of medicine and director of gastrointestinal oncology at the Stanford Cancer Center, has been named a recipient of the American Cancer Society’s 2022 Researcher of the Year Award. Recipients are recognized for their work to further the society’s mission to end cancer for everyone. As an ACS clinician scientist development grant recipient, Goyal received critical protected time to study drug resistance in patients with a rare form of liver cancer, cholangiocarcinoma. Her research focuses on why tumors that harbor genetic alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor pathway stop responding to inhibitors that target these oncogenic drivers. Learn more here.

Teodor Grantcharov, MD, PhD, James Korndorffer, MD, and Carla Pugh, MD, PhD

Professors of surgery Grantcharov and Pugh, along with associate professor of surgery Korndorffer, have been named co-principal investigators on a research project through the Wellcome Leap SAVE (Surgery: Assess/Validate/Expand) program. The goal of the team’s project, which includes a multi-million-dollar award, is to demonstrate the capability to train non-MD practitioners to deliver routine laparoscopic surgery with equivalent outcomes to MD surgeons, and to shorten the timeline needed to train surgeons in minimally invasive techniques by a full year. The aim of the SAVE program is to double the number of surgical providers per year, to an additional 100,000 within a decade. Learn more here.

Crystal Mackall, MD

The Ernest and Amelia Gallo professor and professor of pediatrics — hematology and oncology — has received the Edward Netter Leadership Award from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy. The award recognizes an individual who has made unparalleled and groundbreaking research contributions to cell and gene therapy for cancer. Mackall is being recognized for her role as a leader in research and development of gene-edited cellular therapies for cancer, and her lab’s efforts to translate their use into solid tumors. Learn more here.

Billie-Jean Martin, MD, Kara Davis Meister, MD, Angela Rogers, MD, Hyongsok Tom Soh, PhD, and Paul Wang, MD

Soh, professor of radiology and bioengineering; clinical assistant professors Martin (cardiothoracic surgery), Meister (otolaryngology—head and neck surgery) and Rogers (associate professor of pulmonary and critical care); and Wang, the John R. and Ai Giak L. Singleton Director and professor of cardiovascular medicine, have been named co-principal investigators on a research project through the Wellcome Leap SAVE (Surgery: Assess/Validate/Expand) program. The goal of the team’s project, which includes a multi-million-dollar award, is to research continuous monitoring of vital biomarkers during and post-surgery. The aim of the SAVE program is to double the number of surgical providers per year, to an additional 100,000 within a decade. Learn more here.

Shaneice Mitchell, PhD

The instructor in pathology (immunology) has been named a 2023 MOSAIC (Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers) scholar by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The MOSAIC scholar program is designed to facilitate the transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds into independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. The program also includes a grant in the amount of $975,000. Learn more here.

Stanley Qi, PhD

Qi, an associate professor of bioengineering and institute scholar of Sarafan ChEM-H, has been inducted into the 2023 Class of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows. Election to the college is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. Qi was nominated, reviewed and elected by peers and members of the college “for contributions to the development and dissemination of genome editing techniques." Learn more here.

Nivetha Subramanian, MD

Subramanian, a postdoctoral scholar in nephrology, has received an American Kidney Fund Clinical Scientist in Nephrology fellowship. The fellowship is designed to help promising researchers find ways to improve the quality of care for people living with kidney disease and to promote clinical research in nephrology. Subramanian will be researching disparities in COVID-19 and vaccine booster uptake in dialysis. Fellows conduct prevention and outcomes research while receiving advanced training in essential skills such as medical ethics, biostatistics and epidemiology. The program, which includes a grant of up to $80,000 per year for two years, has funded some of the field’s most prominent researchers early in their careers, addressing the shortage of nephrology researchers. Learn more here.

Lianna Wat, PhD

The postdoctoral scholar in pathology has been selected to participate as a young scientist in the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting for physiology and medicine. The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, which were established in 1951, provide a globally recognized forum for exchange between Nobel laureates and young scientists. They inspire scientific generations and build sustainable networks of young scientists around the world. Learn more here.

February 2023

Niaz Banaei, MD

The professor of pathology and of infectious diseases has been elected as one of 65 new fellows to the American Academy of Microbiology for his contributions to infectious diseases diagnostics. The academy recognizes excellence, originality, service and leadership in the microbial sciences. Fellows are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Learn more here.

Cristabelle De Souza, PhD

The postdoctoral fellow in pathology has been awarded a three-year grant of $90,000 from the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation. The grant will fund De Souza’s research project, in which she aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying desmoid tumor formation and how it impacts the reversion of fibrosis observed in patients. De Souza has also been named the 2022 Dr. Dina Lev Early-Career Investigator. The foundation’s mission is to aggressively fund research to accelerate the development of improved therapies and ultimately find a cure for desmoid tumors. Learn more here.

Francisco Galdos, PhD, and King Hung

Galdos, a stem cell and regenerative medicine MD student, and Hung, a cancer biology PhD student, are two of 12 recipients of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award. The award, given by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, recognizes outstanding achievement during graduate studies in the biological sciences. Galdos uses human induced pluripotent stem cells, machine learning and genetic lineage tracing strategies to better understand the development of the human cardiac ventricles. Hung identified a novel mechanism by which tumor-driving oncogenes are amplified and overexpressed outside chromosomes in cancer. Learn more here.

Stefanie Sebok-Syer, PhD

The assistant professor of emergency medicine has been named a co-principal investigator on a multi-million-dollar award from the Wellcome Leap SAVE (Surgery: Assess/Validate/Expand) program. The goal of the SAVE program is to double the number of surgical providers per year to an additional 100,000 within a decade. Sebok-Syer, along with her co-principal investigators, will work on a project to build a competency-based “precision education” system that assesses individual trainees’ competence and tailors teaching to the level of the individual, thereby reducing training costs and ensuring quality. Learn more here.

Lei Xing, PhD

Xing, a professor of radiation oncology and the Jacob Haimson and Sarah S. Donaldson Professor, has received the Edith H. Quimby Lifetime Achievement award from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. The award denotes outstanding scientific achievements in medical physics, influence on the professional development of others or organizational leadership. Learn more here.

January 2023

Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD, Peter Kim, PhD, Taia Wang, MD, PhD

Bertozzi, professor of chemistry; Kim, professor of biochemistry; and Wang, assistant professor of infectious diseases and of microbiology and immunology, have been selected for one of 13 projects supported through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s new Emerging Pathogens Initiative. The EPI supports basic research targeted at preparedness for emerging pathogens. Bertozzi will lead the project, which will focus on developing modular, multifunctional therapeutics from “parts lists” for a broad spectrum of RNA viruses. The award includes a grant of $6 million over three years to support the team’s research. Learn more here.

Catherine Blish, MD, PhD, Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, Erin Gibson, PhD, and Michelle Monje, MD, PhD

Blish, professor of medicine; Deisseroth, professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; Gibson, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; and Monje, professor of neurology and neurological sciences, have been selected for one of 13 projects supported through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s new Emerging Pathogens Initiative. The EPI supports basic research targeted at preparedness for emerging pathogens that could threaten human health. Monje will lead the project, which will focus on elucidating the neurobiology of respiratory infections relevant to understanding and treating post-infectious “brain fog” syndromes, such as that found in long COVID. Learn more here.

Michael Cherry, PhD

Cherry, a professor of genetics, has had a long-running lab project, the Saccharomyces Genome Database” selected by the Global Biodata Coalition as a Global Core Biodata Resource. The resource provides information on the genetics and cell biology of budding yeast for 30 years. The online resource, defined by NIH as a knowledgebase, provides information curated by PhD-trained biocuration scientists in Cherry’s lab. To date, the team has curated over 100,000 published papers on yeast laboratory results. All of this work, which began in 1993, has been funded by grants from the National Human Genome Research Institute. The SGD is one of 37 resources that have been selected from around the world as a GCBD. Learn more here.

Laura Dassama, PhD, Christine Jacobs-Wagner, PhD, and Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD

Dassama, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology; Jacobs-Wagner, professor of microbiology and immunology; and Satpathy, assistant professor of pathology, have been selected for one of 13 projects supported through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s new Emerging Pathogens Initiative. The EPI supports basic research targeted at preparedness for future emerging pathogens that could threaten human health. Jacobs-Wagner will lead the project, which will focus on targeting cell envelope biosynthesis in Borrelia for diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccine discovery. The award includes a grant of $6 million over three years to support the team’s research. Learn more here.

Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD

The professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences has been awarded the Japan Prize in Life Sciences for developing methods that use genetically addressable light-sensitive membrane proteins to unravel neural circuit function. The award honors scientists and researchers worldwide who have contributed significantly to the peace and prosperity of humankind through original and outstanding achievements. Recipients receive a monetary award of $400,000. Learn more here.  

Christopher Gardner, PhD

The Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center has been appointed to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Gardner and other members of the committee will develop a scientific report for the secretaries of agriculture and HHS, who will use it to develop the 10th edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, expected to be published in 2025. Learn more here.

Juliet Knowles, MD, PhD

The assistant professor of neurology and pediatrics has received the CURE Epilepsy grant. CURE Epilepsy research grants are awarded for cutting-edge research projects with the goal of accelerating treatments, improving outcomes and developing cures. Knowles and her team will receive a grant of $250,000 over two years to study the therapeutic potential for targeting myelin plasticity in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy in which seizures, such as atypical absence seizures, progressively increase despite treatment. Learn more here.

Edward Mariano, MD

Mariano, professor and senior vice chair of the department of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, has received the 2023 Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. The award, given annually, is in recognition of Mariano’s leadership, advancements and contributions in regional anesthesiology and pain medicine. Learn more here.

Michelle Monje, MD, PhD

The professor of neurology and neurological sciences has received the Richard Lounsbery award for advancing understanding of pediatric brain cancers and the neurological effects of cancer treatments. The $75,000 prize is given in alternate years by the National Academy of Sciences and the French Académie des Sciences, to young French and American scientists to recognize extraordinary scientific achievement in biology and medicine and to stimulate research and scientific exchanges between the U.S. and France. Learn more here

Benjamin Pinsky, MD, PhD

The professor of pathology and of infectious diseases has been nominated to serve on the U.S. National Academies Forum on Microbial Threats. Forum members include prominent leaders from government agencies, academia, nonprofit foundations, the private sector and international organizations who tackle complex challenges, analyze key topics and strategize responses to microbial threats. Learn more here.

Pinsky has also received the Diagnostic Virology Career Achievement award from the Pan America Society for Clinical Virology. The award recognizes outstanding scientists whose contributions to viral diagnosis have had a major impact on the discipline. Learn more here.

Joseph Wu, MD, PhD

December 2022

Deborah Bolding, PhD

Pascal Geldsetzer, MD, PhD

Louis Halamek, MD

Robert Harrington, MD

Brian Hie, PhD

Caleb Lareau, PhD

Carolyn Rodriguez, MD, PhD

Sandya Subramanian, PhD

Kristel Tjandra, PhD

Jennifer Woo, MD

Lisa Chamberlain, MD

Iris Gibbs, MD

Natalia Gomez-Ospina, PhD

Yvonne Maldonado, MD

Fatima Rodriguez, MD

Irving Weissman, MD

Euan Ashley, MBChB, DPhil, and Victoria Parikh, MD

Mildred Cho, PhD

John Ioannidis, MD, DSc

Praveen Kalra, MD

Ali Lashkaripour, PhD, and Xiaowei Yan, PhD

Emma Lundberg, PhD

Robbie Majzner, MD

Rajat Rohatgi, MD, PhD

Sara Singer, PhD, and Michael Snyder, PhD

Annelise Barron, PhD

Jonathan Berek, MD

Berek, the Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor, the founding director of the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center and a senior advisor at the Stanford Cancer Institute, helped lead an effort that established a $1.2 million endowed fellowship in gynecologic oncology. The fellowship, which will ensure the training of the next generation of physician-scientists in gynecologic cancers, will be named in honor of Berek upon his retirement from Stanford. Read more

Robert Malenka, MD, PhD

Mark Davis, PhD

Laurens van de Wiel, PhD


Ivan Soltesz, PhD

Lloyd Minor, MD

John Ioannidis, MD

Serena Sanulli, PhD

Timothy McAdams, MD

Hannah Valantine, MD

Allison Kurian, MD, MSc 

Vivian Lou and Adary (Ada) Zhang 

Christina Curtis, PhD

 

 

Helen Blau, PhD

Blau, director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and professor of microbiology and immunology, was elected to the board of directors of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. She has been a member of the society since its inception in 2002 and has served on many of its committees. 

Fernando Mendoza, MD

Mendoza, associate dean of minority advising and programs and professor of pediatrics, was named the 2022 recipient of the Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award by the Federation of Pediatric Organizations. Mendoza advocates for underserved pediatric populations and researches immigrant health and policy. 

Anna Gloyn, DPhil

Gloyn, a professor of pediatrics, is the recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award, which recognizes research in diabetes that demonstrates independence of thought and originality. She studies the genetic basis of diabetes and pancreatic islet cell dysfunction to advance treatment options for patients. 

Cristina Alvira, MD

Alvira, an associate professor of pediatrics, has been named the Society for Pediatric Research’s president-elect for the 2022-2023 term. She will be the president of SPR from June 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024. Alvira has been an active member of SPR since 2011. 

Abby King, PhD 

King, professor of epidemiology and population health, is the 2022 Miriam Aaron Roland Volunteer Service Prize recipient. She was selected for her work to provide community members with accessible tools and resources to improve public health in diverse locales.

Debadrita Bhattacharya, PhD, Felix Boos, PhD,
and Catherine Triandafillou, PhD

Bhattacharya, Boos and Triandafillou were awarded this year’s Damon Runyon Fellowship Award. The three recipients will take part of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s newest cohort of postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research. They will receive $231,000 in funding.


Margaret Fuller, PhD

Fuller, the Reed-Hodgson Professor in Human Biology and professor of developmental biology and of genetics, won the 2022 Genetics Society of America Medal for her pioneering work on cellular mechanisms that underlie Drosophila spermatogenesis.


Justin Annes, MD, PhD

Annes, a physician specializing the treatment of hereditary endocrine disorders and an associate professor of endocrinology, has earned Stanford an award from the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation. The award grant is for $300,000 and comes as a result of Annes’ pioneering platform technology applicable to numerous chemotherapeutics.


Ravi Majeti, MD, PhD

Majeti, professor of medicine, chief of the division of hematology, and member of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, received a Seeking Transformational Research VEnture (STRIVE) grant for $250,000. The award, from the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and RUNX1 Research Program, is for Majeti and his team’s experimental methods in relation to RUNX1-FPD.


Mintu Turakhia, MD

Turakhia, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and the director of the Stanford Center for Digital Health, was named a Luminary Top 50 in Digital Health by RockHealth.org. The Top 50 are selected for their dedication to addressing underserved populations, improving health outcomes and advancing digital health innovations.


Caron Burch, MSN

Burch, manager of the pediatric advanced cardiac therapies program, was elected to the board of directors of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.


Mildred Cho, PhD

Cho, a professor of pediatrics, associate director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and director of the Center for Integration of Research on Genetics and Ethics, was named a Hastings Center fellow.


Kara Davis, DO

Davis, an assistant professor of pediatric hematology and oncology, received an Accelerating Scientific Platforms and Innovative Research (ASPIRE) award from the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. The $750,000 grant will support research into predicting relapse in pediatric acute leukemia.


Jamie McDonald, MD

McDonald, a postdoctoral scholar in clinical multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology, received a Sumaira Foundation 2021 SPARK grant. The $25,000 award will help her develop a database of patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease.


Philip Sunshine, MD

The professor of pediatrics, emeritus, received the Albion Walter Hewlett Award from the Stanford Department of Medicine. Sunshine, a neonatologist, was instrumental in developing the neonatal intensive care nursery at Stanford.


Jonathan Berek, MD

Berek, the Laurie Kraus Lacob Professor and a professor of gynecologic oncology, has been appointed chair of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Committee on Women’s Cancer.


Melissa Bondy, PhD

Bondy, chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, was elected chair of the American College of Epidemiology. She has also been appointed to the steering committee of the American Association for Cancer Research’s Cancer Prevention Working Group.


Heike Daldrup-Link, MD

The professor of radiology received a Cellular Senescence Network Award from the National Institutes of Health. The $2.9 million award will help her develop new tools for arthritis imaging.


Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD

Deisseroth, the D.H. Chen Professor and a professor of bioengineering and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Erasmus University Rotterdam for his discovery of optogenetics, a technique that makes it possible to use light to activate specific brain cells.


Lou Halamek, MD

The professor of neonatal and development medicine received the inaugural Lou Halamek Excellence in Pediatric Simulation Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the director of the Center for Advanced Pediatric and Perinatal Education, which focuses on simulation-based training and research.


Clair Kuriakose, PA-C

Kuriakose, executive director of advanced practice and a clinical assistant professor of primary care and population health, was named a Top 25 Emerging Leader by Modern Healthcare. She was recognized for being a key figure in highlighting the value of advanced practice providers and leading an advanced practice workforce strategy focusing on professional fulfillment and wellness.


Lingyin Li, PhD

The assistant professor of biochemistry received the 2022 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry for her contributions to discovering the molecular basis for innate immune activation through the STING pathway. 


Ravi Majeti, MD, PhD

Chief of hematology and the RZ Cao Professor, Majeti received a Seeking Transformational Research Venture grant from the RUNX1 Research Program and the Mark Foundation. The $250,000 award will help him better understand how blood cancers develop in those born with the RUNX1 genetic mutation.


Sergiu Pasca, MD

Pasca, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program, received the Theodore Reich Young Investigator Award from the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics. Pasca pioneered a way to integrate 3D brain region-specific organoids and study neural circuit formation in preparations known as assembloids.


Capucine van Rechem, PhD

The assistant professor of pathology received an Emerging Scientist Award from the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. The $100,000 prize is for research into epigenetic factors in cancer in young children.


Joe Woo, MD

Woo, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery and the Norman E. Shumway Professor, won the 2021 Clinical Research Prize from the American Heart Association. He was recognized for his work in complex valve repair, including the development of minimally invasive techniques.


Christina Curtis, PhD

Curtis, a professor of oncology and of genetics as well as the director of breast cancer translational research, was named a Komen scholar by the Susan G. Komen foundation. Her work in systems biology has defined new biomarkers of aggressive breast cancer and has led to new insights in tumor progression.


Gozde Durmus, PhD

The assistant professor of radiology was named a Moore Inventor Fellow by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. She will receive $825,000 to investigate drug-resistant bacteria with the goal of rapidly identifying antibiotic resistance and accelerating effective treatment.


Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD

Goldberg, the Blumenkranz Smead Professor and a professor of ophthalmology, received — along with Robert Avery, DO, at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania — a $5.4 million grant from the Gilbert Family Foundation. The goal is to understand how certain optic pathway gliomas lead to vision loss.


Sergiu Pasca, MD

An associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences as well as the Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program, Pasca received the 2022 IBRO-Dargut and Milena Kemali International Prize for Research in basic and clinical sciences. The award, which includes a grant of 25,000 euros, is in recognition of stem cell technology to create human brain organoids and assembloids, which allow researchers to study the cellular mechanisms of human brain development and disease.


Makeda Robinson, MD, PhD

The postdoctoral scholar in infectious diseases won the Robert Wood Johnson Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development award. She will receive $420,000 for her investigation into the immuno-pathogenesis of severe dengue infections with the goal of identifying signatures that can predict disease progression.


John Boothroyd, PhD

Boothroyd, the Burt and Marion Avery Professor in Immunology, won the Alice and C. C. Wang Award in Molecular Parasitology from the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology along with an unrestricted research allowance of $35,000. Boothroyd studies the pathogenesis of parasitic infections, particularly Toxoplasma gondii.


Manisha Desai, PhD

The professor of medicine and of biomedical data science won a Sanofi iDEA award. The $250,000 grant supports the development of new ways to generalize randomized clinical trial findings to target populations of most interest to clinicians, particularly when those target populations are reflected by a complex real-world data set.


Jessica Grembi, PhD

A postdoctoral research fellow in infectious diseases, Grembi won a Rosenkranz Prize from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford Health Policy. She will use the $100,000 award to study the interplay of the gut microbiome with the immune system in undernourished children, with the goal of improving child health and growth in low-income countries.


John Mark Gubatan, MD

The instructor in gastroenterology and hepatology was named a Doris Duke physician scientist fellow. The $220,000 grant will fund his research into vitamin D regulation of gut-specific B cells and gut bacteria in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.


Adrienne Long, MD, PhD

A postdoctoral scholar in pediatric hematology and oncology, Long was named a Doris Duke physician scientist fellow. The $220,000 grant will fund her research into how thymic selection, designed to prevent auto-immunity, may also inhibit antitumor immunity in children.


Robbie Majzner, MD

The assistant professor of pediatrics received a Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award. The $495,000 grant will partially fund a clinical trial of children and young adults with neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma, evaluating their mechanisms of response and resistance to anti-GD2 and anti-CD47 antibodies.


William Maloney, MD

Maloney, the Boswell Chair of Orthopaedics, was named vice president of the Knee Society, an organization of knee replacement surgeons.


Elsie Ross, MD

An assistant professor of vascular surgery, Ross received a Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award. The $495,000 grant will help her develop artificial intelligence to predict outcomes after vascular surgery, giving clinicians a tool for prescribing the best procedure for each patient.


Heather Wakelee, MD

Wakelee, division chief of medical oncology and deputy director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, won the 2021 Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award from the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer. For her decades of research into the etiology, detection and treatment of lung cancer, she was recognized by having her photo posted in New York’s Times Square for a day.


Seema Yasmin, MD

Yasmin, director of research and education at the Stanford Health Communication Initiative and a clinical assistant professor of primary care and population health, has been appointed to a new committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Committee members analyze evidence-based methods for addressing inaccurate and misleading information about biological threats to refute scientific misinformation.


Michael-Anne Browne, MD

The clinical associate professor of pediatrics and associate chief medical officer at Stanford Children’s Health has been appointed to the board of the Association of Physician Leadership in Care Management. 


Chris Garcia, PhD

Garcia, a professor of structural biology and the Younger Family Professor, won the 2021 Biolegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research. The honor, which comes with a $2,500 prize, is for leading biomedical researchers who have made important contributions to the field.


Serena Hu, MD

Hu, a professor of orthopaedic surgery, is the first female president of the American Orthopaedic Association. She will also be the first female president of the Scoliosis Research Society, beginning September 2022.


Ivana Maric, PhD

Maric, a senior research scientist in pediatrics, won a Rosenkranz Prize from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford Health Policy. The accompanying $100,000 grant will fund her research in using machine learning to analyze metabolites in the blood of pregnant women in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh. Her goal is to develop a simple blood test to predict preeclampsia.


Sergiu Pasca, MD

The associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program, Pasca received the 2021 Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Patient-oriented Clinical Research from the American Philosophical Society, which granted him $50,000. Pasca also received the Joseph Altman Award in Developmental Neuroscience from the Japan Neuroscience Society, which includes $10,000. Pasca was recognized for pioneering human stem-cell-based models of brain development and for insights into the molecular mechanisms leading to disease.


Sergey Stavisky, PhD

Stavisky, a postdoctoral research fellow in neurosurgery, won the Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation, which includes a $50,000 award. He develops brain-computer interfaces to help patients regain speech and movement.


Joyce Teng, MD, PhD

The professor of dermatology won a CureAccelerator Live! for Rare Diseases Award from Cures Within Reach. The $50,000 grant will fund her research on targeted therapy for vascular malformation.


Zach West

West, a U.S. Army veteran who is pursuing a master of science in physician assistant studies, was named a Tillman Scholar, which includes an award of $16,000. The Tillman Foundation recognizes service members and veterans who are dedicated to service, scholarship and humble leadership.


Gita Abhiraman

The MD-PhD student was named a 2021 fellow by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, which provides up to $250,000 funding for five years of graduate research. Abhiraman investigates the molecular signals that drive the human immune response to disease. She hopes to help design new therapies for cancer and infectious diseases.


Caitlin Bell, MD

A fellow in cardiovascular medicine, Bell received a $460,000 Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Scientist Training Award. The grant is for physician-scientists who have novel approaches to fighting cancer. Bell is researching vascular smooth muscle cells and how they interface with and influence cancer.


Shaul Druckmann, PhD

Druckmann, an assistant professor of neurobiology and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, received a McKnight Scholar Award of $225,000. He researches what happens in the brain between stimulus and response, focusing on situations when the response is delayed and short-term memory is involved.


Elizabeth Egan, MD, PhD

The assistant professor of pediatrics was named a 2021 Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The $500,000 award will aid her research, which concerns interactions between the malaria parasite and human bone marrow.


David Gaba, MD

A professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, Gaba received the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award for Individual Achievement from the Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum. The award honors his lifetime achievements in education, research, clinical care and institutional leadership. His contributions include developing manikin-based simulation, adapting aviation crew resource management to health care and developing cognitive aids for use in life-threatening situations.


Dennis Lund, MD

Lund, the Elizabeth Wood Dunlevie Professor, a professor of pediatric surgery and chief medical officer of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, was appointed to the board of the W.H. Hendren Foundation for Pediatric Surgery and Urology.


Crystal Mackall, MD

Mackall, the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and professor of pediatrics and of medicine, was recognized with the Pediatric Oncology Award and Lecture from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for her leadership and her career achievements, notably her research into pediatric immuno-oncology.


Angela Lumba-Brown, MD

A clinical associate professor of emergency medicine, Lumba-Brown was appointed to the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. She is the co-director of the Stanford Brain Performance Center, and her research focuses on the care of patients with traumatic brain injury.


Everett Moding, MD, PhD

The assistant professor of radiation oncology won a young investigator award from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The $150,000 grant will help fund his research into sarcoma evolution during tumor development and radiation therapy.


Mira Moufarrej

Moufarrej, a graduate student in bioengineering, received a Lemelson-MIT Student Prize and $15,000. She won the prize, awarded to student inventors, for developing blood tests that more accurately predict a pregnant woman’s due date, her risk of delivering early and her risk of developing preeclampsia.


Noah Rosenberg, PhD, and Donna Zulman, MD

Rosenberg, a professor of biology, and Zulman, an assistant professor of primary care and population health, won the 2021 James V. Burgess Methods Article-of-the-Year from the journal Health Services Research for “Measures of care fragmentation: Mathematical insights from population genetics.”

Tait Shanafelt, MD, and Mickey Trockel, MD

Shanafelt, a professor of hematology and the Jeanie and Stew Ritchie Professor, and Trockel, a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, won a John A. Benson Jr., MD Professionalism Article Prize from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. They won in the commentary category for their article “Understanding and Addressing Sources of Anxiety Among Health Care Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” which ran in 2020 in JAMA Network.

Donna Zulman, MD

The assistant professor of primary care and population health won a John A. Benson, MD, Professionalism Article Prize from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. The winning article, “Practices to Foster Physician Presence and Connection With Patients in the Clinical Encounter,” was published in 2020 in JAMA.


Christopher Chen, MD

An assistant professor of oncology, Chen received the Andrea Lynn Scott Memorial Research Fellowship from the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. The $50,000 award will go toward research into the clonal origins of metastatic bile duct cancer.


Mark Davis, PhD

Davis, a professor of microbiology and immunology, won a Szent-Györgyi Prize from the National Foundation for Cancer Research. The $30,000 award, shared with Tak Mak, PhD, at the University of Toronto, is for discoveries about the genetic basis of T cell recognition. Those discoveries have led to treatments for blood cancers and other diseases.


Leah Guthrie, PhD

A postdoctoral scholar in microbiology and immunology, Guthrie was named a Hanna Gray fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The $1.4 million award will allow Guthrie to study hydroxycinnamic acids, which are common in food but accumulate at high levels in people with failing kidneys.


Aida Habtezion, MD

The associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology received an award from the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group and was named a 2020 Allen Distinguished Investigator. She and her colleagues at the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of British Columbia will use the $1.5 million grant to determine how host immune responses, metabolism, microbiota and intestinal environment lead to variable presentations and outcomes of inflammatory bowel disease.


Paul Khavari, MD, PhD

The Carl J. Herzog Professor in Dermatology received the Stephen Rothman Memorial Award from the Society for Investigative Dermatology. The award is given to dermatologists who have made outstanding contributions to the field in research as well as teaching.


Thomas Koehnke, MD

Koehnke, a postdoctoral scholar, received an ASH Research Restart Award from the American Society of Hematology. The $50,000 grant is for his work on ASXL1 mutations, frequently found in patients with myeloid leukemia and other pre-malignant conditions such as clonal hematopoiesis.


Grace Lee, MD

The professor of pediatrics was named a 2021 Asia Game Changer West Honoree by the Asia Society for her work as a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and as chair of the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Subgroup.


Yvonne Maldonado, MD

Maldonado, the Taube Professor in Global Health and Infectious Diseases and a professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology and population health, received the National Medical Foundation’s Champions of Health Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award. The foundation provides scholarships to students who are underrepresented in the medical field. The award is for making a lasting impact on health care and diversity.


Daniel Mason, MD

An assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Mason received a Guggenheim Fellowship for his fiction writing. The author of four fiction books, he is currently working on a novel that examines the influence of history, both human and ecological, on characters who are living in a period of environmental change.


Tirin Moore, PhD

Moore received the 2021 Pradel Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences. The prize, which comes with a $50,000 research grant, recognizes mid-career neuroscientists whose work is making major contributions to the understanding of the nervous system. Moore’s research demonstrates how neural activity in motor regions of the brain influences visual representation in other regions. His work has established a deeper understanding of brain mechanisms underlying spatial attention and is relevant to our understanding of attention disorders.


Minhee Park, PhD

The postdoctoral scholar in developmental biology received the Damon Runyon Fellowship Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. The $231,000 award is for her research into the way chromatin folds inside the nucleus and the role it plays in epigenetic regulation.


Sergiu Pasca, MD

Pasca, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and the Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program, received the Basic Research Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society. Pasca was recognized for pioneering methods of assembling patient-derived neural cells into three-dimensional organoids and using them to uncover the molecular mechanisms of genetic forms of neuropsychiatric disease. 


Philip Pizzo, MD

Pizzo, the David and Susan Heckerman Professor and professor of pediatrics and of microbiology and immunology, received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Immunocompromised Host Society. The society recognized him for his pioneering work in pediatric HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases in cancer patients, antifungal therapy and other achievements.


Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD

The assistant professor of pathology was named a 2021 Pew-Stewart Scholar. The accompanying $300,000 award will allow him to better understand the molecular regulators of T cell exhaustion in cancer.


William Talbot, PhD

Talbot, a professor of developmental biology and former senior associate dean for graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, won a 2020 Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award for Contributions to Stanford University. He was recognized for his support of postdoctoral candidates from underrepresented groups and his pursuit of racial justice in the biosciences.


Amin Aalipour

Aalipour was named a 2020 STAT Wunderkind. The MD-PhD student has engineered cells to find solid cancer tumors. He is also developing viruses that kill cancer cells.


Jason Batten, MD

The anesthesia resident received the 2020 Jeremy Sugarman Award from Johns Hopkins University. The award is for achievement in bioethics research. He was recognized for his paper “Variation in the design of Do-Not-Resuscitate orders and other code status options: a multi-institutional qualitative study,” which was published in BMJ Quality and Safety.


Achintya Bhowmik, PhD

An adjunct professor of otolaryngology, Bhowmik was named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his work in developing devices that incorporate sensors and artificial intelligence to mimic human perception and cognition. They include multisensory hearing aids and computer vision systems that assist in navigation. 


Charles K. F. Chan, PhD

An assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, Chan has been appointed an investigator of the Heritage Medical Research Institute. The institute will support Chan’s study of skeletal stem cells’ ability to regenerate cartilage damaged by injury or disease.


Wah Chiu, PhD, and Serena Yeung, PhD

Chiu, the Wallenberg-Bienenstock Professor and a professor of bioengineering and of microbiology and immunology, and Yeung, assistant professor of biomedical data science, received a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network award. They will use the $150,000 grant to study neurons using cryo-electron tomograms and a computer vision method with the goal of learning about the cellular structure and pathology of Huntington’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, PhD

An assistant professor of pediatrics, Czechowicz has received an award from the National Blood Foundation. She will use the $75,000 grant to study genetic factors in Fanconi anemia that may lead to bone marrow failure and leukemia. 


Neir Eshel, MD, PhD

An instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Eshel has received a 2020 SFARI Bridge to Independence Award from the Simons Foundation. The foundation provides the awardees with $495,000 to start autism research once they begin a tenure-track position. Eshel studies the neural mechanisms behind aggressive behavior in people with a range of psychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders.


Dean Felsher, MD, PhD

The professor of medicine and of pathology received a 2020 Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute. The $7 million grant will be used to target oncogene pathways that could be blocked as a treatment for cancer.


Michael Fredericson, MD

A professor of orthopaedic surgery, Fredericson has received an award from the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Grant Program. The $10,000 grant will allow him to implement a program to improve bone health and reduce bone stress injuries in long-distance runners who compete for Pacific-12 Conference colleges. 


Robert Harrington, MD

Harrington, the Arthur L. Bloomfield Professor in Medicine, won the Distinguished National Leadership Award from the American Heart Association. He is the immediate past president of the association. 


Paul Heidenreich, MD

A professor of cardiovascular medicine, Heidenreich won the Award of Meritorious Achievement from the American Heart Association for his work on improving care for patients with heart disease while lowering costs. 


Tina Hernandez-Boussard, PhD, and Dennis Wall, PhD

Hernandez-Boussard, associate professor of biomedical informatics and of biomedical data science, and Wall, associate professor of pediatrics (systems medicine) and of biomedical data science, have been elected to the American College of Medical Informatics. Fellowship in the college is granted to those who have demonstrated sustained and significant contributions to biomedical informatics. 

Karen Hirsch, MD

An associate professor of neurology and neurological sciences, Hirsch received an award from the National Institutes of Health. The $7.7 million grant, to be distributed over five years, will cover research into injury of the brain and other organs after cardiac arrest. Hirsch and her team will study biomarkers in cardiac arrest patients to predict their response to treatment and long-term recovery. 


Yang Hu, MD, PhD, and Stanley Qi, PhD

Hu, assistant professor of ophthalmology, and Qi, assistant professor of bioengineering and of chemical and systems biology, received a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Neurodegeneration Challenge Network Award. The $150,000 grant will fund their research into screening tools and intervention techniques for glaucoma in mice using CRISPR gene-editing techniques. 

James Longoria, MD

Longoria, clinical associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, was named, for the fifth year in a row, a top doctor in cardiac surgery by Sacramento Magazine.  


Yvonne Maldonado, MD

Maldonado, professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases and of epidemiology and population health, received an award from the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations Program. The $3.3 million grant will help Northern Plains tribes address the COVID-19 pandemic through testing, health consultations and data management. 


Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, and Sergiu Pasca, MD

Monje, associate professor of neurology, and Pasca, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, were winners in the life sciences category of the  2020 Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs competition. Monje was recognized for her discovery that certain brain cancers interact with normal neurons to help the malignant tumor grow, uncovering potential therapeutic strategies for lethal brain cancers. Pasca was recognized for developing 3D brain spheroids from pluripotent stem cells from patients, allowing the study of human neural circuits.

Monther Abu-Remaileh, PhD, and Suzanne Pfeffer 

Abu-Remaileh, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Pfeffer, the Emma Pfeiffer Merner Professor in Medical Sciences and professor of biochemistry, received an award from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative. The $9 million grant, given in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Dundee in Scotland, is for further understanding Parkinson’s disease and the developing of therapies for it. 

Thomas Rando, MD, PhD

Rando, professor of neurology and neurological sciences, received an award from the National Institutes of Health’s Alliance for Regenerative Rehabilitation Research. The $1 million grant is to improve physical functioning of people with disabilities by building connections between rehabilitation science and regenerative medicine. 


Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD

Satpathy, assistant professor of pathology, received an award from the National Institutes of Health. The $2.6 million, five-year grant is to develop genome sequencing technologies that will improve the durability of immunotherapy for patients with cancer. 


Stefanie Sebok-Syer, PhD

Sebok-Syer, instructor of emergency medicine, received a 2020 Stemmler Fund grant from the National Board of Medical Examiners. The $149,999 award is for research on assessing  physician performance in collaborative, team-based clinical settings. 


Lucy Shapiro, PhD

Shapiro, the D. K. Ludwig Professor and a professor of developmental biology, was awarded the Dickson Prize in Science from Carnegie Mellon University. The prize is for her work in understanding how a one-dimensional genetic code generates three-dimensional cellular architecture. She established that the cell is an integrated network operating in time and space, with implications for computer science networks and systems biology. Her research has informed the development of medications to fight infectious diseases.


SPARK

The SPARK program received an award from the Booz Allen Foundation. The $100,000 grant will be used to complete safety studies related to a trial of nose drops inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection. SPARK also won the 2020 National Xconomy award for ecosystem development. 


Gary Steinberg, MD

Steinberg, the Bernard and Ronni Lacroute-William Randoph Hearst Professor in Neurosurgery and Neurosciences, received the 2020 Ralph G. Dacey, Jr. Medal for Outstanding Cerebrovascular Research from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The award, which includes a $1,000 cash prize, recognizes neurological surgeons who have made many contributions to understanding and treating cerebrovascular disease.


Alexander Urban, PhD, and Nolan Williams, MD 

Urban and Williams, both assistant professors of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, received a One Mind Bipolar Research Award. The $20,000 grant is to advance understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. 

Of Note Archive

2023 ISSUE 1

How social factors make or break us