Student Spotlights

Research Support — Dina Tsukrov, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova, has been awarded a Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship by the American Society for Microbiology. The fellowship provides three years of research funding to exceptional graduate students from underrepresented groups. Dina’s award-winning project seeks to tackle HIV through radioimmunotherapy of HIV-infected cells.

Talking About Degeneration — Medical student Rob Haughton won the award for “best poster” at the International Spine Meeting, the annual meeting for the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery, which draws participants from all over the United States and nations worldwide. Mr. Haughton’s poster was based on work he has been doing in the laboratory of Dr. Alok Sharan, concerning disk degeneration. Dr. Sharan is assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Einstein and chief of the department’s orthopaedic spine service at Montefiore.

Special Selection — Ph.D. student Danielle Pasquel was accepted to participate in the annual FEBS Nuclear Receptor Signaling in Physiology and Disease advanced lecture course, which took place on the Greek island of Spetses in August. The five-day meeting consisted of faculty lectures, workshops, poster sessions, small group tutorials and networking events. Ms. Pasquel presented a poster based on her work in the laboratory of mentor Dr. Sridhar Mani, focused on the molecular mechanisms of the pregnane X receptor. Dr. Mani is professor of medicine and of genetics.

Future Physician Recognition — The American Medical Association (AMA) has selected Chelsea McGuire as a recipient of its prestigious Physicians of Tomorrow Award. The AMA is dedicated to advancing public health and medical scholarship through charitable support of physicians; each year, it issues its Physicians of Tomorrow Awards to promising fourth-year medical students across the nation. Recipients are nominated by their respective medical schools and chosen based upon academic achievement and financial need. As an awardee, Ms. McGuire will receive a $10,000 tuition-assistance scholarship. She is a member of Einstein’s class of 2014.

“STAR” Students -- This summer, five first-year medical students, Jimmy Chan, Stephanie Charles, Khadija Ismail, Rebecca Touger and Lindy Zhang, received 2013 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program scholarships. Sponsored by the American Federation for Aging Research, the National Institute on Aging and the Hartford Foundation, MSTAR provides students with experience in aging-related research and geriatrics while working with leading experts in the field. Additionally, the students will present a poster describing their summer projects at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society, where they will have the opportunity to interact with prominent researchers of aging and of geriatrics.

Esther Berko, an MSTP candidate conducting her graduate research in the laboratory of Dr. John Greally, recently was featured as an expert responding to a “Got Questions?” blog on the Autism Speaks website. Ms. Berko is an Autism Speaks Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellow.

Recognizing Achievement — Nicolas Palacios-Prado, a Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Dr. Feliksas Bukauskas, has received a 2012 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Student Research Fellowship. The prestigious selection recognizes Mr. Palacios-Prado’s exceptional academic and personal achievements and reflects HHMI’s confidence in his great potential to become a leader in academic science.

Emily Miller, an M.D.-Ph.D. candidate who conducted research in the laboratory of Dr. Kartik Chandran, was recently among those honored at Yeshiva University’s annual Chanukah Dinner. Ms. Miller was recognized for her groundbreaking discovery concerning Ebola, which may lead to the virus’ first treatment plan. The breakthrough involves identification of a protein on healthy cells that can act as a portal for the deadly virus, which kills up to 90 percent of infected patients.

Second-year M.D.- Ph.D. student Ross Firestone, was among the winners selected for the MCAT Video Competition, a collaboration between Khan Academy, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Learn more about the competition and what Ross had to say about his entry at https://bitly.com/11UHlI9.

Scholarly Honor – Three Einstein students are recipients of the 2012 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) program scholarships, a competitive national program sponsored by the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), The National Institute on Aging, and The Hartford Foundation that provides students with a summer experience in aging-related research. Students can apply for positions at either a National Training Center or at their home institution. Both Yehuda Lerea and Mary Derasmo are Einstein MSTAR Awardees, who will be mentored by Dr. Helena Blumen (neurology/cognitive and motor aging) and Dr. Gil Atzmon (endocrine/genetics), respectively. In addition, Derek Wu will be mentored at UCLA, as a National MSTAR Awardee.