December 2020
Chrysothemis Celia Margaret Brown, MBBS, PhD
Title: Research Associate
Department/Program: Immunology
Lab Head: Alexander Rudensky, PhD
Project Title: MSK Robertson Investigator Award
Awarding Agency:
MSK
November 2020
Meret Regula Arter, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Immunology
Lab Head: Scott Keeney, PhD
Project Title: Uncovering genetic conflict in mouse meiotic recombination
Awarding Agency:
European Molecular Biology Organization
Chrysothemis Celia Margaret Brown, MBBS, PhD
Title: Research Associate
Department/Program: Immunology
Lab Head: Alexander Rudensky, PhD
Project Title: Brown HOPP Discretionary Fund
Awarding Agency:
MSK
Rebecca Beatrice Delconte, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Immunology
Lab Head: Joseph Sun,PhD
Project Title: Targeting Natural Killer Cells as Immunotherapy in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Awarding Agency:
National Health and Medical Research Council
Shlomo Elias, MD, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Immunology
Lab Head: Alexander Rudensky, PhD
Project Title: Cooperativity between the transcription factor Foxp3 and its ancestor Foxp1 in Treg cells
Awarding Agency:
Cancer Research Institute
Colleen M Lau, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Immunology
Lab Head: Joseph Sun,PhD
Project Title: Investigating the impact of cytomegalovirus on NK cellmediated tumor immunity
Awarding Agency:
Cancer Research Institute
Lin Tian, PhD
Title: Research Associate
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Joan Massagué, PhD
Project Title: Dissecting Extracellular Matrix-mediated Immune Evasion of HER2+ Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis
Awarding Agency:
Cancer Research Institute
October 2020
Christopher Sultan Hackett, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Renier J. Brentjens,MD, PhD
Project Title: Optimization of armored TA99 CAR T cells for melanoma
Awarding Agency:
Technology Development Fund
Ellen Horste
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: 3'UTR-dependent regulation of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Oriana Miltiadous, PhD
Title: Special Fellow
Department/Program: Pediatrics
Lab Head: Andrew Kung, MD,PhD
Project Title: Microbiome evolution in neuroblastoma patients undergoing cancer therapy
Awarding Agency:
Rally Foundation
September 2020
Sergio Juarez-Carreño, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Frederic Geissmann, MD, PhD
Project Title: The Function of Metazoan Macrophages as Sensors of Nutritional State to Regulate Tissue Growth. A Genetic, Molecular, and Functional Analysis in Drosophila Melanogaster
Awarding Agency:
Cancer Research Institute
Alberto Munoz, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Chemical Biology Program
Lab Head: Derek Tan, PhD
Project Title: Development of A One-Pot Synthesis of Carbonyl (Bio)isosteres
Awarding Agency:
Basic Research Innovation Award
William Rosa, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Lab Head: Jamie S. Ostroff, PhD
Project Title: Palliative Care Communication Needs of Sexual and Gender Minority Persons with Cancer
Awarding Agency:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Project Title: Perceived Self-Efficacy of Palliative Care Nurse Practitioners in Meeting Psychosocial, Spiritual, and Emotional Needs of Patients with Cancer via Telehealth during COVID-19
Awarding Agency:
The Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Keunwoo Ryu, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Craig B. Thompson, MD
Project Title: Functional Segregation of Mitochondria by High-Order Assembly of Metabolic Enzymes.
Awarding Agency:
Basic Research Innovation Award
Francisco Sanchez-Rivera, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Scott W. Lowe, PhD
Project Title: Reconstructing complex cellular trajectories in vivo with single cell resolution.
Awarding Agency:
Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis and Tumor Ecosystems Center
Simon Schwoerer, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Craig B. Thompson, MD
Project Title: Investigating metabolism in the tumor stroma reveals an unexpected role of protein catabolism in pancreatic cancer
Awarding Agency:
Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis and Tumor Ecosystems Center
Shruthy Suresh, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Richard White,MD, PhD
Project Title: Identification of Metastatic Modulators Through Zebrafish Modeling
Awarding Agency:
Melanoma Research Alliance Foundation
Andrew Tracey, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Genitourinary Oncology Service
Lab Head: Jonathan A. Coleman, MD
Project Title: Genomic characterization of the tumor microenvironment in upper tract urothelial carcinoma
Awarding Agency:
American Urological Association Foundation
August 2020
Corina Amor Vegas, PhD Candidate
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: Development of senolytic CAR T cells as new therapeutic agents
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Yudan Chi, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Adrienne A. Boire, MD, PhD
Project Title: The Microenvironmental Landscape of Breast Cancer Leptomeningeal Metastasis
Awarding Agency:
American Association for Cancer Research
Mollie Chipman, PhD Candidate
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: Investigating the role of tumor-associated macrophages in glioblastoma multiforme
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Cornelius Taabazuing, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Chemical Biology Program
Lab Head: Daniel Bachovchin, PhD
Project Title: Investigating the function of ZU5 domain-containing proteins as amplifiers of caspase activation
Awarding Agency:
National institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
July 2020
Viswatej Avutu, MD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: William Tap, MD
Project Title: Development and validation of a clinical tool for baseline and longitudinal assessment of adolescents and young adults with cancer in an integrated clinic
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Francisco Barriga, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Scott W. Lowe, PhD
Project Title: Dissecting the genetic evolution of complex karyotype myelodysplastic syndrome
Awarding Agency:
Edward P. Evans Foundation
Elsa Bernard, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Lab Head: Elli Papaemmanuil, PhD
Project Title: Beyond genetic heterogeneity in MDS: Towards molecularly guided classification, risk stratification and treatment decisions
Awarding Agency:
Edward P. Evans Foundation
Susan Dewolf, MD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Marcel R. M. van den Brink, MD, PhD
Project Title: Immunologic mechanisms of leukemia relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Benjamin Diamond, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: C. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD
Project Title: Deciphering the Impact of Melphalan on Secondary Malignancy in Multiple Myeloma
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Madelyn Espinosa Cotton, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Pediatrics
Lab Head: Nai-Kong Cheung,MD, PhD
Project Title: Identification of novel drug targets and predictors of clinical outcomes in desmoplastic small round cell tumors using next-generation sequencing
Awarding Agency:
Sarcoma Foundation of America
Ya-Yuan Fu, PhD
Title: Research Associate
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Alan Hanash, PhD
Project Title: Immune-mediated epithelial regeneration in gastrointestinal tract after hematopoietic cell transplantation
Awarding Agency:
Be the Match Foundation
Florisela Herrejon Chavez, PhD Candidate
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Molecular Pharmacology
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: Investigating the Role of the RNA Binding Protein SYNCRIP in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Awarding Agency:
American Society of Hematology
Ellen Horste, PhD Candidate
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Andrea Schietinger, PhD
Project Title: 3'UTR-dependent regulation of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Manisha Jalan, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Radiation Oncology
Lab Head: Simon N. Powell, MD, PhD, FRCP
Project Title: Alternate DNA repair pathways in homologous recombination-deficient cancers
Awarding Agency:
American Association for Cancer Research
Alejandro Jimenez Sanchez, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Computational and Systems Biology Program
Lab Head: Dana Pe’er, PhD
Project Title: Integrative single cell time-series for tumor microenviorment remodeling
Awarding Agency:
The Francis Crick Institute Limited
Jin Ki Kim, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Surgery
Lab Head: Julio Garcia-Aguilar, MD, PhD
Project Title: Immunocompetent Murine Rectal Cancer Model
Awarding Agency:
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
Riccardo Mezzadra, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Scott W. Lowe, PhD
Project Title: Understanding the immunostimulatory effect of senescence in pancreatic cancer
Awarding Agency:
Cancer Research Institute
Oriana Miltiadous, MD
Title: Special Fellow
Department/Program: Pediatrics
Lab Head: Andrew Kung, MD,PhD
Project Title: Microbiome evolution in neuroblastoma patients undergoing therapy
Awarding Agency:
Hyundai Hope On Wheels
Project Title: Microbiome evolution in neuroblastoma patients undergoing therapy
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Yonina Murciano-Goroff, MSc, DPhil, MD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Alexander Drilon, MD
Project Title: Combined RAS and SHP2 inhibition in advanced KRAS G12C mutant tumors
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Mariam Nawas, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Sergio A. Giralt, MD
Project Title: Interleukin-6 Inhibition to Alleviate Symptom Burden After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Magdalini Panagiotakopoulou, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Molecular Pharmacology
Lab Head: Daniel A. Heller, PhD
Project Title: Cancer Pharmacology Training Grant
Awarding Agency:
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Karlo Perica, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Sergio A. Giralt, MD
Project Title: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells for Relapse After Allogeneic Transplant in Multiple Myeloma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Maria Sirenko, PhD
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: Defining the biological consequences of somatic mutations in high risk AML using integrative single cell approaches
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Maximilian Stahl, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Martin Tallman, MD
Project Title: Nano-liposomal delivery of C6-Ceramide as a novel apoptosis-promoting therapeutic strategy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML): A phase I study
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Christopher Warren, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Structural Biology Program
Lab Head: Nikola Pavletich, PhD
Project Title: Mechanisms of ATM activation by the MRN complex and DNA Double Strand Breaks
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Adam Widman, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD
Project Title: Ultra-sensitive detection of melanoma circulating tumor DNA through deep-learning empowered whole genome sequencing
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Jeffrey Wong, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Jonathan E. Rosenberg, MD
Project Title: CD40 agonism for the treatment of bladder cancer
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
June 2020
Linde Anne Miles, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Ross L. Levine, MD
Project Title: The Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor Postdoctoral Fellowship
Awarding Agency:
Philanthropic Funds
Sahana Rao, PhD Candidate
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Chemical Biology
Lab Head: Daniel Bachovchin, PhD
Project Title: Kravis Women in Science Endeavor (WiSE) Graduate Fellowship
Awarding Agency:
Philanthropic Funds
Pablo Sanchez Vela, MD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Ross L. Levine, MD
Project Title: Momentum Fellowship
Awarding Agency:
Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Mohita Malay Tagore, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Richard White,MD, PhD
Project Title: The Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor Postdoctoral Fellowship
Awarding Agency:
Philanthropic Funds
Yiru Zhang, PhD
Title: Research Associate
Department/Program: Radiology
Lab Head: Stephen B. Solomon, MD
Project Title: A novel adjuvant to radioembolization to exploit vulnerabilities of aggressive ARIDIA mutant hepatocellular carcinomas.
Awarding Agency:
Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation
May 2020
Afruja Ahad, PhD Candidate
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Radiology
Lab Head: Jason S. Lewis, PhD
Project Title: Evaluation of novel gold-Trastuzumab-based antibody-drug conjugates and immunoliposomes in HER2-positive breast cancer
Awarding Agency:
The Tow Foundation
N. Sumru Bayin, PhD
Title: Postdoctoral Fellow
Department/Program: Developmental Biology
Lab Head: Alexandra Joyner, PhD
Project Title: Awarded the Postdoctoral Research Award-Recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promise by research fellows or research associates who have been at MSK for at least one year and have published a significant research paper as first author.
Awarding Agency:
MSK
Siting Gan, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Computational Biology
Lab Head: Dana Pe’er, PhD
Project Title: In situ single-cell dissection of teh tumor-microenvironment interplay mediating brain metastasis
Awarding Agency:
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
Alexandra Gaynor, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Lab Head: Tim A. Ahles, PhD
Project Title: Neural and Cognitive Mechanisms of Attention and Memory Deficits in Cancer Survivors
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Login S George, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Lab Head: Jamie S. Ostroff, PhD
Project Title: Psychological Responses to the Possibility of Dying: Decision-Making Implications for Advanced Cancer Patients
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Jia Luo, MD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Mark G. Kris, MD
Project Title: Augmenting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TNF-a inhibition in patients with stages II-III lung adenocarcinomas
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Juan C. Osori, MD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Matthew Hellmann,MD
Project Title: Fc Receptors as Modulators of Tissue-Specific Activity of Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Antibodies in Lung Cancer
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Marcus Ruscett, PhD
Title: Postdoctoral Researcher
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Scott W. Lowe, PhD
Project Title: Awarded the Postdoctoral Research Award-Recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promise by research fellows or research associates who have been at MSK for at least one year and have published a significant research paper as first author.
Awarding Agency:
MSK
Angela Maria Savino, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Michael Kharas, MD
Project Title: Targeting the Dysregulated Metabolic Program in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Awarding Agency:
Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation
Manu Setty, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Computational Biology
Lab Head: Dana Pe’er, PhD
Project Title: Awarded the Postdoctoral Research Award-Recognizes outstanding accomplishments and promise by research fellows or research associates who have been at MSK for at least one year and have published a significant research paper as first author.
Awarding Agency:
MSK
Jimmy Zhao, MD, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Charles L. Sawyers, MD
Project Title: Investigating lineage plasticity as a mechanism of resistance to anti-androgen therapy in prostate cancer
Awarding Agency:
Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
April 2020
Theodora Anagnostou, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Alan Hanash, PhD
Project Title: Transcriptional Signature of PD1-TIM3+ T-cells in Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
Awarding Agency:
American Society of Hematology
Robert Bowman, PhD
Title: Research Associate
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Ross L. Levine, MD
Project Title: Interrogating oncogene-dependency and mutation order in FLT3 mutant AML
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
Prerna R. Nepali, PhD
Title: Research Scholar
Department/Program: Radiation Oncology
Lab Head: Adriana Haimovitz-Friedman, PhD
Project Title: FLASH Radiation modulates microvascular redox signals to prevent normal tissue toxicity.
Awarding Agency:
Imaging and Radiation Sciences Program Seed Grant
Zhen Sun, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cell Biology
Lab Head: Kristian Helin, PhD
Project Title: Revealing the Roles of Methyltransferases NSD and SETD2 in Regulating Gene Expression and in Cancer
Awarding Agency:
Edith C. Blum Foundation
Jiajun Zhu, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Head: Craig B. Thompson, MD
Project Title: Characterizing the biological function and therapeutic potential of mitochondrial NADP(H)
Awarding Agency:
National Cancer Institute
March 2020
Juan Osorio, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Matthew Hellmann,MD
Project Title: Fc Receptors as Modulators of Tissue-Specific Activity of Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Antibodies in Lung Cancer
Awarding Agency:
Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research
Alvaro Quintanal Villalonga, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Medicine
Lab Head: Charles Rudin, MD, PhD
Project Title: Defining and overcoming resistance in TWIST1-upregulated chemo resistant small cell lung cancer tumors
Awarding Agency:
Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research
Jan Remsik, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Human Oncology & Pathogenesis (HOPP)
Lab Head: Adrienne A. Boire, MD, PhD
Project Title: Lung cancer-induced disruption of developmental signaling in pre-metastatic leptomeninges
Awarding Agency:
Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research
Benjamin Tischler, B.S.
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: Uncovering the Role of Platelets in Anti-Aspergillus Immune Defense
Awarding Agency:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Ignacio Vasquez Garcia, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Lab Head: Sohrab Shah, PhD
Project Title: Co-evolution and dynamics of malignant and immune cells in ovarian cancer
Awarding Agency:
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
February 2020
Alejandro Arroyo Pacheco, PhD
Title: Research Fellow
Department/Program: SKI
Lab Head: Jason S. Lewis, PhD
Project Title: Edythe Griffinger Fellowship in Basic Science
Awarding Agency:
National Institute of Health
Sarah Kim, PhD
Title: Fellow
Department/Program: Surgery
Lab Head: Mario Leitao, MD
Project Title: Mutation and HPV tracking in cervical cancer patients using circulating cell-free DNA
Awarding Agency:
Foundation for Women's Cancer
January 2020
Pamela Hatfield
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Marcel R. M. van den Brink, MD, PhD
Project Title: The effect of Thiamine, Pantothenic Acid, and Pyridoxine on the regulation of T cell differentiation and function
Awarding Agency:
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Adina Rachel Schonbrun
Title: Graduate Student
Department/Program: Gerstner Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Lab Head: Michael Overholtzer, PhD
Project Title: Roles of Diacylglycerol acytransferase 1 and Hedgehog acyltransferase in Intramembrane Fatty Acyl-CoA Transport
Awarding Agency:
American Heart Association