Lasker Clinical Research Scholars

Hans Ackerman, M.D., D.Phil., M.Sc.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease

Website: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/vascular-physiology/people/ackerman-hans

Hans Ackerman became a Lasker Scholar in 2014. He is studying sickle-cell disease and malaria, which share an evolutionary link and many of the same disease-causing mechanisms that underlie vascular dysfunction. He is also studying how naturally occurring genetic differences change nitric-oxide signaling and vasodilation responses in blood-vessel walls. He hopes his work will contribute to the development of drugs that could prevent or treat the vascular complications of sickle-cell disease or malaria. He received his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School (Boston), and his D.Phil. in human genetics and M.Sc. in biological anthropology from the University of Oxford in England. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston); a fellowship in critical-care medicine at the NIH Clinical Center; and a research fellowship at the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He and his wife enjoy raising their three boys.

Sean Agbor-Enoh, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Laboratory of Applied Precision Omics, National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute

Website: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/applied-precision-omics/people/agbor-sean

Sean Agbor-Enoh, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2019, is developing genomic methods for the early detection and treatment of lung-transplant rejection. His method—which can detect rejection two to three months earlier than the current invasive process of taking a lung-tissue biopsy after rejection has begun—involves a simple blood test that measures cell-free DNA in the bloodstream. “My hope is to bring innovative and cutting-edge approaches to improve survival after lung transplantation,” he said. He received his M.D. from the University of Yaoundé (Yaoundé, Cameroon) and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.). He did a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgetown University Medical Center; a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore); a fellowship in critical care medicine at the NIH Clinical Center; and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). Outside of work he loves to explore nature’s treasures with his wife and four children, who range in age from 2 to 17.

Christine Campo Alewine M.D., PH.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/christine-alewine

Christine Campo Alewine became a Lasker Scholar in 2016. She is conducting clinical trials to test the effectiveness of a recombinant immunotoxin in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy in patients who have advanced pancreatic cancer. Recombinant immunotoxins are antibody-based anticancer therapeutics that deliver a potent bacterial toxin to cancer cells; the toxin halts protein synthesis in those cells. Her study may lead to advances in our understanding of whether immunotoxins can be used to treat pancreatic cancer and provide insight into technical aspects of this therapeutic strategy. Alewine received her Ph.D., in physiology, and M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore). She completed a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore) and a clinical fellowship in medical oncology at NCI’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Her outside activities include tennis, hiking, quilting, being a Girl Scout troop leader, and spending time with her husband and their two daughters.

Alison Boyce, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Metabolic Bone Disorders Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Alison Boyce, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2020, is searching for treatments for fibrous dysplasia/McCune-Albright syndrome (FD/MAS), a rare and debilitating skeletal disease that can cause bone fractures, deformity, pain, and loss of ambulation, vision, and hearing. Emerging evidence suggests that the receptor activator of a protein called RANKL, which regulates bone resorption, plays a role in FD pathogenesis. Boyce is investigating whether inhibiting RANKL would serve as a novel therapeutic strategy to treat patients. She received her M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School (Norfolk, Virginia); did a residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (Norfolk, Virginia); and completed a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Outside of work, she likes to spend time with her husband, son, and daughter.

Stephanie T. Chung, M.B.B.S.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Website: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/staff-directory/biography/chung-stephanie

Stephanie Chung, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2020, established a joint NIDDK/Children’s National Hospital metabolic research program that focuses on diabetes disparities in youth and young adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Young adults with T2DM are at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD); up to 50% of them have poor long-term glycemic control. Chung’s program examines reasons for metformin-treatment failure and evaluates innovative therapies for T2DM. She aims to clarify the mechanisms linking severe insulin resistance, remnant lipoproteins, and diabetes with increased risk of ASCVD, and to determine the effectiveness and safety of statin therapy in youth. She received her M.B.B.S. degree from the University of the West Indies at Mona (Kingston, Jamaica) and completed residencies in medicine and pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Galveston, Texas) and in pediatric endocrinology at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston). Her outside activities include running, hiking, and baking with her three children.

Freddy E. Escorcia, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar: Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://ccr.cancer.gov/staff-directory/freddy-e-escorcia

Freddy E. Escorcia, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2021, is dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment for patients with gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers. He is designing, engineering, and testing new tumor-directed radiopharmaceuticals for imaging and therapy that he hopes will help improve the quality of life and survival of patients with these malignancies. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology from the Tri-institutional MD-PhD Program of Weill Cornell Medical College, The Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York. He completed a residency in radiation oncology and a postdoctoral fellowship at MSK as an American Board of Radiology B. Leonard Holman fellow. Before becoming a Lasker Scholar, he was an attending radiation oncologist and a Physician-Scientist Early Investigator in NCI. Outside of work, he enjoys weight training, playing basketball, reading, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Courtney Fitzhugh, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Sickle Cell Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Website: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/research/intramural/researchers/pi/fitzhugh-courtney

Courtney Fitzhugh, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2016, is seeking to improve—and develop new—treatment options to achieve a cure for sickle-cell disease (SCD). Although matched-sibling bone-marrow transplantation offers the best treatment for people with SCD, only 15 to 20 percent of these patients have a complete sibling match. More than 90 percent have at least a half-match such as a parent, child, or half-matched siblings. Fitzhugh is developing an alternative option that involves such haploidentical donors. Her goal is to develop a widely available, successful half-matched transplant regimen. She received her M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine; did a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina); and a combined fellowship in adult hematology and pediatric hematology/oncology, at NIH and Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, playing board games, and watching movies.

Christopher Grunseich, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Website: https://research.ninds.nih.gov/staff-directory/christopher-grunseich-md

Christopher Grunseich, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2024, is working on developing treatments for patients with inherited forms of motor neuron disease. He is studying clinical and molecular tools that can be used to measure disease progression and guide the development of new treatments. He uses patient-derived models to characterize molecular pathways leading to motor neuron degeneration, and is working on designing and testing precision therapeutic approaches focused on the underlying disease mechanism. He earned his M.D. from SUNY Stony Brook in New York; completed a residency in neurology at Georgetown University; and did a fellowship in neurogenetics at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, sailing, biking, and spending time with his wife, son, and their dog.

Suchitra Hourigan, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, NIH Distinguished Scholar, and Chief, Clinical Microbiome Unit, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Website: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/suchitra-hourigan-md

Before joining NIH and becoming a Lasker Scholar in 2021, pediatric gastroenterologist Suchitra Hourigan held faculty positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore), the University of Virginia School of Medicine (Charlottesville, Virginia), and George Washington University School of Medicine (Washington, D.C.), and served as vice chair of research at Inova L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital (Falls Church, Virginia). At NIH, her clinical research focuses on microbiome interventions to mitigate chronic inflammatory diseases. She has an ongoing 600-subject randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of the microbiome intervention, “vaginal seeding” (transferring the mother’s vaginal microbiome to the newborn), in babies born by cesarean section. Cesarean delivery is associated with a higher risk of a child developing chronic inflammatory conditions associated with the microbiome, including obesity, which she hopes to mitigate with vaginal seeding. Hourigan also leads studies investigating other microbiome interventions including fecal transplant and early-life antibiotics. She received her medical degree from the University of Oxford (Oxford, England) and completed a pediatric residency and pediatric gastroenterology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two sons.

Paule V. Joseph, Ph.D., R.N., F.N.P., M.S.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and NIH Distinguished Scholar, Section of Sensory Science and Metabolism, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research (DICBR); joint appointment at the National Institute of Nursing Research

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/paule-joseph

Paule V. Joseph, a 2019 Lasker Scholar, is conducting preclinical, clinical, and translational studies to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and management of chemosensory disorders and symptoms—in chronic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes—by examining the role that smell and taste play in those conditions. She is also exploring how the neurological mechanisms underlying taste and smell might be different in individuals with alcohol and substance-use disorders. After receiving her M.S. as a family nurse practitioner from Pace University (New York) and a Ph.D. in nursing and genomics from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Joseph did a postdoctoral fellowship in NINR. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her parents and her younger sister and doing humanitarian work around the world.

Christopher G. Kanakry, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/christopher-kanakry

Christopher Kanakry, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2018, strives to improve outcomes for people in need of allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplants to treat certain cancers or other severe diseases of the blood or bone marrow. In particular, he is trying to better understand the mechanisms by which the drug cyclophosphamide prevents graft-versus host disease (GVHD), a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation. He hopes to translate his work to allow the development of new strategies that will decrease the incidence and severity of GVHD and infectious complications, improve reconstitution of the immune system, and better prevent and treat malignancy relapse post-transplant. He received his M.D. from the Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, North Carolina) and trained at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore) doing a residency in internal medicine and fellowships in medical oncology and in hematology. His non-work activities include spending time with his wife and two young children, singing with the City Choir of Washington, swimming, and teaching Sunday School.

Yogen Kanthi, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Translational Vascular Medicine Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Before joining NIH in 2020 as a Lasker Scholar, Yogen Kanthi was an assistant professor and attending cardiologist at the University of Michigan Medical School ((UMMS) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There, his team was the first to identify central roles for neutrophil signaling in the severity of COVID-19 and for interleukin 1-beta in venous thromboembolism (VTE) and venous inflammation. At NIH, he is examining how inflammatory diseases promote clot formation and will be conducting a clinical trial testing whether a targeted anti-inflammatory medication can reduce recurrent VTE. Kanthi received his M.D. from Ohio State University College of Medicine (Columbus, Ohio); completed an internal medicine residency and was chief medical resident at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (Cleveland, Ohio); did fellowships in clinical cardiology and clinical vascular medicine; and was a postdoctoral fellow in vascular biology at UM. He is a co-founding co-director of UM’s Vascular Medicine Fellowship Program, a position he still maintains. He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and reading.

Payal P. Khincha, M.B.B.S., M.S.H.S.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/staff-directory/khincha-payal

Payal Khincha became a Lasker Scholar in 2023. She is dedicated to improving the lives and outcomes of individuals and families with inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, particularly Li-Fraumeni syndrome which confers an extremely high lifetime risk of developing multiple primary cancers of different types. Her research spans the spectrum of cancer etiology, cancer risk characterization, development of screening techniques for early cancer detection, and psychosocial impact of these disorders. She is currently developing the first primary prevention/chemoprevention trial in LFS, developing novel strategies to reduce cancer risk in affected individuals. She earned her M.B.B.S. from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bengaluru India. She completed her pediatric residency at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York and Children’s National Medical Center, Washington DC. She further completed her pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center and also earned a Masters of Science in Health Sciences, in Clinical and Translational Research, at George Washington University. She is board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric hematology-oncology. Outside of work, she is an avid reader, loves traveling, exploring new cuisines and cultures, and spending time with her husband and two children.

Joanna Klubo-Gwiezdzinska, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.Sc.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and Acting Section Chief, Thyroid Tumors and Functional Thyroid Disorders, Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Website: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/staff-directory/biography/klubo-gwiezdzinska-joanna

Joanna Klubo-Gwiezdzinska, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2019, focuses on clinical and translational studies to find optimal options for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Her work includes identifying the genetic background of thyroid tumors, novel molecular targets for therapy of thyroid cancer, and a comprehensive analysis of cross-talk between cancer signaling pathways and metabolism. Her lab discovered the antidiabetes drug metformin can slow the growth of thyroid tumors and other cancers that express high amounts of a certain protein in the mitochondria. She received an M.H.Sc. from Duke University (Durham, North Carolina) and an M.D. and Ph.D. in endocrinology and thyroid cancer from Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University (Torun, Poland). She completed a residency in internal medicine and endocrinology at Nicolaus Copernicus University Hospital (Bydgoszcz, Poland); a postdoctoral fellowship in thyroid cancer at Georgetown University–Medstar Research Institute (Washington D.C.); a residency in internal medicine at Washington Hospital Center–Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.); and a clinical fellowship in endocrinology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Outside of work, she enjoys going to the opera in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; enjoying family time with her husband and son, particularly walking their dog together; and reading inspiring biographies.

Frank I. Lin, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and Chief, Targeted Radionuclide Therapy Section, Molecular Imaging Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://ccr.cancer.gov/molecular-imaging-program/frank-i-lin

Frank Lin, who joined the Lasker Scholars program in 2016, is using targeted radionuclide therapy (tRNT) to treat cancer. Unlike conventional external-beam radiation therapy, tRNT can target and treat cancer cells throughout the entire body and has the potential to deliver lethal radiation doses to even micro-metastases. He works with pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma, mesothelioma, and prostate cancer, but tRNT can be used to treat other malignancies, too. Lin hopes to demonstrate that tRNT can be used to treat a variety of malignancies including cancers that are highly resistant to other forms of therapy. He received his M.S. in medical informatics from the University of Utah (Salt Lake City) and his M.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee). He did an internal medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente (San Francisco) a nuclear-medicine residency at the University of California, Davis (Sacramento, California); and was a PET/CT fellow at Stanford University (Stanford, California). Lin is also training to become a board-certified medical oncologist through NCI’s Medical Oncology Fellowship Program. His outside interests include going to museums, parks, nature centers, and playgrounds with his wife and their two daughters.

Andrea Lisco, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Website: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/andrea-lisco-md

Andrea Lisco became a Lasker Scholar in 2024. He is studying the clinical conditions in which the immune system fails to control the Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) causing a broad spectrum of benign and malignant diseases. His personalized medicine approach to each patient with aggressive skin or mucosal HPV-related diseases is based on the characterization of the underlying immune defect to inform the use of a targeted patient-specific immunotherapeutic strategy. He hopes his work will accelerate the development of novel preventive and treatment strategies for HPV-related diseases in immunocompromised hosts and in the general population.

He was born and raised in the south of Italy where he received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Bari focusing on immunological determinants of persistent viral diseases. He moved to NIH to further develop his experimental skills in a postdoctoral fellowship and then completed a residency in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH). He eventually returned to NIH for a fellowship in infectious disease and then established his clinical research program as Assistant Clinical Investigator in NIAID. Outside of work he enjoys the rich DC post-hardcore music scene, revisiting traditional southern Italian dishes, biking and keeping up with his two children.

Jacqueline W. Mays, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.S.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Oral Immunobiology Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/jacqueline-mays

Jacqueline Mays, a 2020 Lasker Scholar, is unravelling the underlying immune processes of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) that develops in tissues, including the salivary glands, of people who’ve had hematopoietic cell transplants to treat certain cancers, blood disorders, and primary immunodeficiencies. Her research will deepen the understanding of the initial causes of cGVHD and how the immune system functions in autoinflammatory oral disease. Mays received her D.D.S. degree and a Ph.D. in oral biology from The Ohio State University, College of Dentistry (Columbus, Ohio) and an M.S. degree in clinical and translational research from Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, North Carolina). She did a postdoctoral fellowship in viral immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and a fellowship in clinical research at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Outside of work, she enjoys biking, nature, traveling and keeping up with her two young daughters.

Lisa J. McReynolds, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/lisa-mcreynolds

Lisa McReynolds became a Lasker Scholar in 2024. She studies the genomics of inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) and related myeloid malignancy predispositions. She works with both family studies and large population genetic data to research cancer risk and etiology in these hereditary conditions. One focus of her research is determining the best cancer screening mechanisms for patients with Fanconi anemia, a cancer prone IBMFS with an extremely high risk of leukemia and squamous cell carcinomas. She received her MD and PhD in developmental molecular biology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. She completed her pediatrics residency at the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York, Columbia University. She went on to complete her fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology in the joint Johns Hopkins University-National Cancer Institute program. She moved to NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics in 2016. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, especially watching her son play baseball.

Ian A. Myles, M.D., M.P.H.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Website: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/ian-myles-md-mph

Ian Myles became a Lasker Scholar in 2020. He focuses on how human health is affected by skin microbiome, with a particular emphasis on eczema (also called atopic dermatitis or AD), an inflammatory skin disease associated with reduced quality-of-life and high risk of developing asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergies. His recent studies have demonstrated that a topical spray containing a type of live healthy bacteria called Roseomonas mucosa can produce clinical benefit in adults and children. His research will provide a deeper understanding of how bacteria influence skin health. He obtained an M.D. from the University of Colorado School of Medicine (Aurora, Colorado); completed an internal medicine residency at Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio); did fellowship training in allergy and clinical immunology at NIAID; and received an M.P.H. from George Washington University (Washington, D.C.).

Derek Narendra, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar and Chief, Inherited Movement Disorders Unit, Neurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Website: https://neuroscience.nih.gov/ninds/Faculty/Profile/derek-narendra.aspx

Neurologist and cell biologist Derek Narendra is a 2020 Lasker Scholar whose research focuses on the genetics of movement disorders. He is especially interested in understanding the genetics and molecular pathogenesis of Early Onset Parkinson Disease (EOPD). His research is expected to enhance the understanding of mitochondrial contributors to PD pathogenesis and enable novel targeted therapies for both the genetic and sporadic forms of PD. Narendra received his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and his Ph.D. in medical science from the University of Cambridge (Cambridge, England). He completed the Mass General Brigham Neurology Residency at Harvard Medical School (Boston), and a fellowship in movement disorders at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). In his spare time, he enjoys running, skiing, and hiking with his wife and daughter.

Samuel Y. Ng, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/samuel-ng

Samuel Ng joined NCI as a Lasker Scholar in 2022. He is studying the molecular mechanisms that underlie mature T-cell malignancies in order to improve the treatment of T-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphomas. This work includes identifying features of normal or malignant T cells that could be targeted by existing or novel therapies used to treat patients afflicted by these diseases.

Ng received a Ph.D. in immunology and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School (Boston). He completed his clinical training with a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) followed by a fellowship with the Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Center program in Hematology and Oncology (Boston). He subsequently practiced as an attending physician with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Center for Lymphoma and completed postdoctoral basic and translational research training at Dana-Farber before joining NCI. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, gardening, and following Boston sports.

Rosa Nguyen, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/rosa-nguyen

Rosa Nguyen is a pediatric oncologist and became a Lasker Scholar in 2023. She works to develop new cellular and cytokine-based immunotherapies for pediatric solid tumors such as neuroblastoma, for which outcomes continue to be poor. She conducts translational research and is involved with the clinical implementation of promising new treatments. She received her M.D. from the University of Hamburg in Germany and completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Maryland and a fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and in the Pediatric Oncology Branch. Outside of work, she enjoys exercising and spending time with her husband Christian and her son Jannick.</

Ramya Ramaswami, M.B.B.S., M.P.H.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/ramya-ramaswami

Ramya Ramaswami became a Lasker Scholar in 2023. She is focused on identifying novel therapeutic options for patients with HIV and cancer. Her clinical-translational research seeks to integrate key immunologic and genomic factors with clinical parameters to help diagnose, treat, and improve outcomes for patients with virus-associated cancers. Ramaswami received B.Sc. and M.B.B.S from Imperial College London. Following medical training in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, she was inducted a member of the Royal College of Physicians and completed her specialty training in medical oncology. Subsequently, Ramaswami received a M.P.H. with an epidemiology concentration from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and served as an editorial fellow at the New England Journal of Medicine. Outside of work, she enjoys long walks, honing her artistic skills and exploring the world with her family.

Nitin Roper, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/nitin-roper

Nitin Roper, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2023, is focused on deciphering the relationship between Notch signaling, cell fate/plasticity and tumor immunity in neuroendocrine cancers, particularly small cell lung cancer. His research goals are to decipher the biologic mechanisms of neuroendocrine tumors that may, in turn, predict response or lack of response to immune checkpoint inhibition; elucidate epigenetic mechanisms which may drive neuroendocrine tumors; and develop new pre-clinical models and therapies for rarer neuroendocrine tumors. He received his M.D. at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Master’s in Clinical Research Methods from Columbia University. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City) and medical oncology training at the NCI. Outside of work, he is an avid skier and tennis player. He also enjoys photography and spending time with his family.

Samira M. Sadowski, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/samira-sadowski

Samira Sadowski became a Lasker Scholar in 2024. Her work addresses critical gaps in the knowledge of the basic mechanisms of neuroendocrine tumor biology, such as the high variability in receptor density and treatment response in patients with identical histology and tumor grade or difficulties in detecting disease. She is seeking to uncover new therapies for neuroendocrine tumors to improve patient survival. Her translational and clinical investigations have the goal to identify new methods, strategies, and technologies for improving the diagnosis and prognostication of endocrine neoplasms. She received her medical training at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She completed her general surgery residency training at the University Hospitals of Geneva and did a master's degree in medical biostatistics at the University of Montreal, Canada. She completed her Endocrine Oncology Surgery Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. Outside of work she loves to explore nature’s treasures with her husband and two boys.

Michael R. Sargen, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/staff-directory/sargen-michael

Michael Sargen became a Lasker Scholar in 2024. He is leading cohort, case-control, and family studies that integrate genomic and epidemiologic methods to identify genetic, host, and environmental factors that contribute to the development and progression of cutaneous melanoma in families and children, as well as aggressive non-melanoma skin cancers like sebaceous carcinoma. He intends to use the insights gained from this research to develop strategies for the early detection and prevention of disease, aligning with key goals of the United States National Cancer Plan. Dr. Sargen earned his M.D. degree in 2013 from the University of Pennsylvania. Following medical school, he served as a medicine intern at Pennsylvania Hospital from 2013 to 2014. He then completed a Dermatology residency at Emory University from 2014 to 2017, where he served as Chief Resident during his final year. Afterward, he pursued a fellowship in Dermatopathology at Stanford University from 2017 to 2018. Since 2018, he has been practicing as a Dermatologist and Dermatopathologist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he manages melanoma-prone families and reviews biopsies of atypical melanocytic neoplasms. In this clinical role, he also teaches pathology residents about the histopathologic features of skin diseases. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Nirali N. Shah, M.D., M.H.Sc.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/nirali-shah

Nirali N. Shah, who is a 2019 Lasker Scholar, is testing novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat high-risk hematologic malignancies in children, adolescents, and young adults. Her research focuses on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell-based strategies and other antibody-based therapies. She leads clinical trials to treat relapsed and refractory pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia; serves as an associate investigator on several transplant trials with patients who have primary immunodeficiency; and, in collaboration with investigators in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is leading an effort on transplantation for children with DOCK8 immunodeficiency syndrome. She received her M.H.Sc. in clinical research from Duke University (Durham, North Carolina)–National Institutes of Health and her M.D. from the University of Illinois, College of Medicine (Chicago). She did an internal medicine residency at Harvard Combined Internal Medicine–Pediatrics Residency Program (Boston); was a fellow in pediatric hematology-oncology at the joint National Cancer Institute–Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore) training program; and served as clinical fellow and staff clinician in NCI’s Pediatric Oncology Branch. Outside of work, she is kept busy with three children ages 4 to 11—balancing work, homework, after-school activities, and “having a bossy baby make us all sing Frozen songs.”

John (Jack) Frederick Shern, M.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/jack-shern

Jack Shern, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2018, is defining the biology, genetics, and epigenetics of pediatric sarcomas, namely rhabdomyosarcoma and malignant peripheral nerve–sheath tumors. He hopes to develop novel therapies and sequencing assays that can be incorporated into diagnostic and prognostic clinical care; determine the genetic mechanisms of tumor resistance; and be able to therapeutically target epigenetic vulnerabilities in pediatric sarcomas. He received his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia (Augusta, Georgia) and did a residency in pediatrics, University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital (Chicago). He also completed a combined fellowship in the pediatric hematology and oncology training program at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) and the National Cancer Institute. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his wife, four-year-old daughter, and friends; and also enjoys gardening, biking, and traveling.

Jeffrey R. Strich, M.D., M.H.S.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; joint appointment at the NIH Clinical Center

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/jeffrey-strich

Jeffrey Strich, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2023, is interested in unravelling the pathogenesis and developing host-directed therapies for patients who have infections that cause critical illness with a focus on bacterial sepsis. He hopes to improve the outcomes of some of the most critical ill patients in the intensive care unit. His team’s research goals are pursued through a combination of in vitro translational studies, large animal models, and human clinical trials. Dr. Strich received his undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut, and his Medical Degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC, followed by fellowship training in Critical Care Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the NIH Clinical Center and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Prior to starting as a Lasker Scholar he was a Staff Clinician in the NIH Clinical Center Critical Care Medicine Department. Outside of work he like to run and spend time with his wife and two children.

David Takeda, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/david-takeda

David Takeda, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2019, uses functional genomic approaches to advance the understanding of prostate cancer in order to provide new insights into potential therapies. He is interested in how prostate cancer becomes resistant to therapy. Using a combination of functional genome editing and epigenomic profiling, his lab recently described an enhancer of the androgen receptor that is activated and amplified in 80% of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers. He earned an M.M.Sc. in biomedical informatics, an M.D., and a Ph.D. in medicine and experimental pathology from Harvard Medical School (Boston). He did a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) and a hematology-oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston). NIH is “one of the few places where they encourage and support you to come do high-risk, high-impact projects,” he said. “I think being able to invest in something like that really attracted me and the fact that the [NIH Clinical Center] is entirely dedicated to research.” Outside activities include following Boston sports (when he lived in Boston); now he’s on the lookout for new hobbies.

Jing Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/jing-wu

Jing Wu, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2018, finds it rewarding to know that her research into primary brain tumors may bring hope to patients and help relieve their suffering. In particular, she focuses on gliomas with mutations in the IDH gene, which is linked to longer survival regardless of the cancer’s stage at diagnosis. She has developed clinical trials to test combined therapies in recurrent glioblastomas, which are more aggressive than IDH-mutant gliomas. She received her M.D. from Capital Medical University (Beijing, China) and her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, Texas). She did a residency in neurology (including as chief resident) at the University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston); a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience at the University of Texas Medical Branch; and a clinical neuro-oncology fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston). Outside of work, she likes to read and spend time with her family and her cats.

Marielle E. Yohe, M.D., Ph.D.

Lasker Clinical Research Scholar, Laboratory of Cell and Developmental Signaling, and Adjunct Investigator, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute

Website: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/marielle-yohe

Marielle Yohe, who became a Lasker Scholar in 2021, studies the RAS/MAPK pathway, which is frequently dysregulated in several pediatric solid tumors (such as rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma) and RASopathies (such as Costello Syndrome). RASopathies are caused by genetic mutations that encode components or regulators of the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (RAS/MAPK) pathway. People with a RASopathy may have developmental issues, cognitive disabilities, poor growth, birth defects, and an increased risk for developing cancer. She is involved with clinical trials to investigate the safety and efficacy of RAS/MAPK-targeting agents in pediatric patients. She received her Ph.D. in pharmacology and M.D. at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Medical Center (Hartford, Connecticut), and did a clinical fellowship at the combined Johns Hopkins University/National Cancer Institute Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her twin daughters.

For more information on the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program

This page last reviewed on March 28, 2025

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