For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Contact:
Maria Maslennikov Masm@mail.nih.gov
NIH Medical Research Scholars Program Welcomes the 2021-2022 Class
Scholar.
The National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) class of 2021-2022 will begin their MRSP fellowship virtually in July and will come physically to the NIH Clinical Center research hospital or elsewhere on the NIH campus in August to fully embark upon a yearlong research experience.
“The future of medicine hinges upon developing clinician-scientists who will make and translate discoveries at the bench, achieve success against rare and refractory diseases, and address disparities in health and medicine. MRSP offers a transformational training experience that will promote students to become leaders in American medicine.” said Thomas R. Burklow, M.D., director of the MRSP.
The MRSP received 128 eligible applications for the 2021-2022 class. Upon review by NIH investigators, 85 applicants were interviewed. Given the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, the MRSP conducted its first virtual interview event for the class selection. The interview event was held over the course of two days and included various presentations from several NIH investigators, former program participants, and Dr. Francis Collins, NIH Director. Each interviewee interviewed with three NIH investigators.
Scholar.
After final review and evaluation, the 2021-2022 class was finalized and consists of:
- The 50 participants consist of 48 medical, one dental, and one veterinary students.
- The participants represent 35 U.S.-accredited universities.
- The class consists of six second-year and 44 third-year students.
- Sixty-six percent of participants are female.
Incoming scholars are enthusiastic and ready to engage in a vigorous and research fulling year.
During an unprecedented time for science and medicine, I couldn’t think of a more exciting opportunity than being a MRSP Scholar at the NIH. I hope to take full advantage of this training and gain the skills to reach my goal of providing equitable clinical care that integrates translational science and public health.
– Evan Garrad, University of Missouri - Columbia School of MedicineI am thrilled for the opportunity to learn and participate in dermatology research at an institute known as a global leader in research. At the NIH, I will be surrounded by critical thinkers, top-tier resources, and the spirit of innovation. The skills I will learn this year will no doubt better prepare me for a lifetime career as a clinician scientist.
– Christy Nwankwo, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine
The selected participants receive robust, 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 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. 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 national professional conferences.
The MRSP is supported by the NIH and other partners via contributions to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. More than 460 students have completed the MRSP program since its initiation in 2012.
MRSP 2021-2022 scholars:
- Antara Afrin, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
- Nidhi Aggarwal, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
- Serene Ahmad, University of North Carolina School of Medicine
- Maleeha Ahmad, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Amir Ali, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine
- Maria Antony, University of Connecticut School of Medicine
- Andrew Baez Rivera, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
- Mason Belue, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine
- Ariel Bohner, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Allison Carroll, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Annika Deitermann, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Jacob Enders, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Aiman Faruqi, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Galen Gao, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
- Evan Garrad, University of Missouri - Columbia School of Medicine
- Megan Hansen, University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Mikako Harata, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
- Christin Hong, Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
- Victoria Huynh, LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in New Orleans
- Carrie Johnson, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Christian Kaculini, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine
- Jamie Ko, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
- Joshua Kowalczyk, University of Virginia School of Medicine
- HoLim Lee, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- Hoowon Lee, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- Diana Lopez, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Yen Luu, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine
- Drashty Mody, Indiana University School of Dentistry
- Noreen Mohsin, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- Madhavi Murali, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine
- Priyanka Nadar, Drexel University College of Medicine
- Matthew Nagy, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Christy Nwankwo, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine
- Christina Nyquist, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Ross O'Hagan, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Mario Pita, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Kishan Pithadia, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
- Emily Rao, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
- Mitchell Rock, Georgetown University School of Medicine
- Halle Ronk, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Paras Shah, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western University
- Noha Sherif, University of North Carolina School of Medicine
- Jennifer Shmukler, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Sherice Simpson, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
- Tiffany Toni, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
- Sarah Turecamo, New York University School of Medicine
- Dalia Walzer, New York University School of Medicine
- Natalia Wojnowski, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Jordan Zeldin, University of Florida College of Medicine
- Grant Zurcher, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, Lubbock
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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. Over 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: https://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.