News Release

Monday, June 11, 2018

NIH announces 2018-2019 Medical Research Scholars Program class

A image of student researchers at a lab bench Participants in the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program.

The National Institutes of Health has selected 37 talented students for the Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP). The research training program allows medical, dental, and veterinary students to pause their university studies to live on the intramural campus of NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, and conduct basic, clinical, or translational research. The accepted scholars begin their fellowship in July/August 2018. 

“The NIH Medical Research Scholars Program attracts the brightest talent from across the country. These scholars are the future leaders in American medicine,” said Thomas R. Burklow, M.D., director of the MRSP. 

The NIH MRSP received over 115 applications during the 2018-2019 submission cycle. Those creative, research-oriented scholars selected will receive mentored training and will conduct research in areas that match their personal interests and research goals. The training experience forms the core of the program and allows these future clinician-scientists and medical researchers to carry out research across the full spectrum of science in the interest of improving public health. The scholars work with an advisor who provides guidance on creating a career development plan and on selecting an NIH research mentor. Mentors are fulltime NIH investigators with basic, clinical or translational research programs.

Learn more about the 2018-2019 NIH MRSP participants:

  • The 37 participants consist of 34 medical, two dental and one veterinary student
  • The participants represent 28 U.S.-accredited universities
  • The class consists of three second-year, 32 third-year and two fourth-year students
  • Sixty-five percent of participants are female

Over the course of the academic year, MRSP scholars participate in courses, journal club seminars, a structured lecture series and clinical teaching rounds. They also present their research to the NIH community and at domestic professional conferences.

The MRSP is supported by the NIH and other partners via contributions to the Foundation for the NIH.

Meet this year’s scholars:

  1. Tyler Bauer, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
  2. Trent Tsun-Kang Chiang, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland
  3. Harry Choi, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
  4. Katharina Clore-Gronenborn, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
  5. David Cruz Walma, University of Alabama School of Dentistry at UAB
  6. Nicole Dalal, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
  7. Tim Donahoe, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York
  8. Cameron Fick, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.
  9. Leah Gober, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, Georgia
  10. Sarah Greene, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
  11. Nikhil Gupta, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
  12. Saadia Hasan, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
  13. Gloria Hong, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore
  14. Rebecca Hu, the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
  15. Natasha Kesav, Northeast Ohio Medical University
  16. Jenny Kim, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York
  17. Erika Lampert, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
  18. Steven Langerman, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C.
  19. Anthony Lee, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
  20. Debora Lee, the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine
  21. Diane Libert, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
  22. Mengyun Lu, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
  23. Katherine Masih, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
  24. Grace McKay-Corkum, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester
  25. Rogelio Medina, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  26. Quynh Nguyen, the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry, Jackson 
  27. Asmi Panigrahi, Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey
  28. Deeti Pithadia, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
  29. Madeline Pyle, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
  30. Jeannie Radoc, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  31. Jonathan Sackett, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California
  32. Gurpreet Seehra, the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine
  33. Tiahna Spencer, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington
  34. Sydney Stein, the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine
  35. Nick Thoreson, Boston University School of Medicine
  36. Durin Uddin, the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine
  37. Wen Da Ye, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University

About the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH): The FNIH creates and manages alliances with public and private institutions in support of the mission of the NIH. The FNIH works with its partners to accelerate biomedical research and strategies against diseases and health concerns in the United States and across the globe. Established by Congress in 1990, the FNIH is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) charitable organization. For additional information about the FNIH, please visit fnih.org.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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Related Links

Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP)

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