News Release

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

NIH Medical Research Scholars Program announces first class

The National Institutes of Health has selected a talented pool of 45 medical, dental, and veterinary students representing 34 different U.S.-accredited universities for its inaugural class of the Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP).

The new NIH MRSP is a year-long enrichment program designed to provide mentored training to creative, research-oriented medical, dental, and veterinary students at the intramural campus of the NIH in Bethesda, Md. The MRSP enables scholars to conduct basic, clinical, or translational research in areas that match their personal interests and research goals. In addition to participating in mentored research, the MRSP scholars attend courses, seminars, a structured lecture series, and clinical teaching rounds, as well as present their research over the course of the academic year to the NIH community and at domestic professional conferences. Each scholar is assigned a tutor/advisor to assist with developing a well-articulated career development plan and with selecting a dedicated NIH mentor whom is approved by the program's leadership.

The MRSP blends the elements of two former, highly successful programs — the NIH Clinical Research Training Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-NIH Research Scholars Program. It is co-sponsored by the NIH and other partners via contributions to the Foundation for the NIH.

The 45 selected participants for the 2012-2013 NIH MRSP are:

  • Lusana Ahsan, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, Brooklyn
  • Towhid Ali, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway
  • Joshua Bakhsheshian, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
  • Kathryn Bowman, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Southwestern Medical School
  • Jeffrey Burkeen, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, College Station
  • Kadir Carruthers, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland
  • Jacob Cawley, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Va.
  • Lauren Doss, The University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
  • Ryan Ellis, The Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
  • Jason Frerich, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
  • Tanya Glaser, The University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine
  • Landon Grange, The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
  • Scott Grossman, The Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
  • Michael Halstead, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans
  • Colette Harris, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
  • Thanh Ho, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles
  • Kyle Holmberg, The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis
  • Cheng Hong, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
  • Jade Jones, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
  • Yilun Koethe, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.
  • Ritesh Kotecha, Albany Medical College, N.Y.
  • Frank Kuo, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
  • Alan Kwan, The University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle
  • Kelly Leong, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston
  • Jennifer Logan, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • Vincent Ma, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
  • Whitney McFadden, The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
  • Carlos Miranda, New York University School of Medicine, New York City
  • Dominic Moon, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor
  • Aivi Thanh Nguyen, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
  • Shervin Rahimpour, The University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver
  • Arkady Rasin, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.
  • Daniel Rogan, New York University School of Medicine
  • Jessica Shields, Louisiana State University School of Medicine at New Orleans
  • Taylor Snider, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine
  • Grace Snow, Duke University School of Medicine
  • Michael Spinner, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville
  • Adrienne Taylor, Duke University School of Medicine
  • Hong Truong, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
  • Robert Vander Broek, The University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor
  • Juan Carlos Vera, The Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
  • Howard Wang, The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
  • Max Wattenberg, The University of Louisville School of Medicine
  • Michael Weintraub, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles
  • Peter Wu, The University of Michigan Medical School

About the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health: The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health was established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the National Institutes of Health — improving health through scientific discovery. The Foundation identifies and develops opportunities for innovative public-private partnerships involving industry, academia, and the philanthropic community. A non-profit, 501(c) (3) corporation, the Foundation raises private-sector funds for a broad portfolio of unique programs that complement and enhance NIH priorities and activities. The Foundation’s website address is www.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.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

###