For Immediate Release
Friday, Aug. 8, 2025
Contact:
Yvonne Hylton yvonne.hylton@nih.gov
NIH Medical Research Scholars Program welcomes the 2025-2026 class
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announce the Class of 2025-2026 National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP). Students from across the country will begin their year-long research fellowship program and participate in a comprehensive clinician-scientist development program.
Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine
This year, the MRSP received 124 eligible applications. After review by a panel of NIH investigators, the 2025-2026 class consists of:
- 27 medical school participants
- Four dental school participants
- 29 represented US-accredited universities
- 25 third-year, five second-year, and one fourth-year students
During the year, scholars will engage in mentored research training tailored to their individual interests and long-term career goals. This immersive experience is the foundation of the program, enabling scholars to pursue research across the full spectrum of scientific disciplines with a focus on advancing public health. Each scholar is paired with a full-time NIH investigator—whose expertise spans basic, clinical, or translational research—and also works closely with an advisor who provides personalized guidance in developing a comprehensive career development plan.
Over the course of the academic year, MRSP Scholars will participate in a seminar series with invited speakers that include institute directors and distinguished senior investigators, engage in clinical teaching rounds, and take part in journal club presentations. They will also present their research to the NIH community and at national professional conferences.
Indiana University
School of Medicine
The MRSP is supported by the NIH and other partners via contributions to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Including the incoming class, 647 students have participated in the MRSP program since its inception in 2012.
“I’m grateful and excited to join this incredible cohort of scholars and contribute to the NIH’s legacy of scientific innovation. I look forward to learning from mentors deeply committed to advancing medicine and to building the skills to conduct high-quality, impactful research that improves the lives of our patients and communities.”
– Megan Ezeude, MS-III
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine“I feel distinctly privileged to spend a year paying close attention to biomedical ethics, an area of great interest to me. To do so with generous, expert mentorship, in the company of thoughtful colleagues plying diverse techniques on the pointy end of health science is a humbling and invigorating opportunity. I hope to develop skills and convictions which will help me participate in innovation for the health and flourishing of future generations.”
– Davis Meadors, MS-II
Indiana University School of Medicine
MRSP 2025-2026 scholars:
- Amy Banks, University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry
- Pavan Bhimalli, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
- Honesty Boone, University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry
- Gabriella Chefitz, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City
- Vamsi Chodisetty, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland
- Meghan Dewan, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
- Yiling Dong, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, D.C.
- Megan Ezeude, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago
- Roopa Gorur, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor
- Hyungee Ha, Central Michigan University College of Medicine, Mount Pleasant
- Randall Jones, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
- Rikhil Makwana, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
- Davis Meadors, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
- Nitin Nadella, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine
- Raj Nair, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk
- Migelle Paolo Orobia, University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry
- Kingsley Osei-Karikari, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York City
- Virali Patel, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
- David Pellei, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, New York City
- Jessica Riopedre, FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami
- Aaliyah Schultz, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine, New York City
- Emily Scoville, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina
- Shrey Shah, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark
- Deven Singh, Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey
- Mark Solter, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
- Tadana Vazquez-Rothschuh, Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Puerto Rico
- Madyson Williams, University of Missouri - Columbia School of Medicine
- Elena Wilson, Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, Charleston
- Donald Wunsch, Saint Louis University School of Medicine
- Sophia Xiao, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City
- Rana Yakhshi Tafti, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
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About the NIH Clinical Center: The NIH Clinical Center is the world’s largest hospital entirely devoted to clinical research. It is a national resource that makes it possible to rapidly translate scientific observations and laboratory discoveries into new approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. Greater than 1,600 clinical research studies are conducted at the NIH Clinical Center, including those focused on cancer, infectious diseases, blood disorders, heart disease, lung disease, alcoholism and drug abuse. For more information about the Clinical Center, visit www.cc.nih.gov.
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.