Student Spotlights

Boosting Weight Loss — The drug mirabegron, which is FDA-approved to treat overactive bladder, may also help patients lose weight, according to a new study published in the January 6, 2015 issue of Cell Metabolism. Among the researchers on the study was third-year medical student Peter Kahn. During a multi-year research project conducted in the lab of lead-author Dr. Aaron Cypress, of the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School, Mr. Kahn was part of the team that reported their findings concerning mirabegron’s performance in boosting the metabolic activity of brown fat in 12 healthy men, thereby increasing the number of calories the men burned by an average of 200 calories--without any additional physical activity. The findings suggest the drug could be a new tool for maintaining body weight and preventing obesity. The paper was covered by several science and technology news websites. Mr. Kahn is a member of Einstein’s class of 2017.

The Write Stuff — Christy Duan, a third-year medical student with a passion for writing, has received the $1,000 Richard Selzer Prize, presented by Des Moines University's literary journal Abaton, for her nonfiction submission Where Will You Find Happiness Now? Another submission, Slowly, Slowly, received honorable mention honors. The two pieces were previously part of an award-winning collection appearing in the 2011 Avery and Jule Hopwood Contest at University of Michigan where Ms. Duan earned her bachelor’s degree in 2012. She has also published journalistic pieces in the Detroit Free Press and on KevinMD.com. 

Research Support — Nick Farris, class of 2015, received a 2014 Hematology Opportunities for the Next-Generation of Research Scientists (HONORS) award. The American Society of Hematology presents the HONORS award, which included $5,000 to support research that Mr. Farris will conduct with Drs. Henny Billett and Craig Branch. Through his research project, Mr. Farris will seek to establish parameters that can be used during functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate sickle cell anemia and its response to therapy.

Further Funding — In addition to his recent HONORS award, Mr. Farris received an Einstein Research Fellowship from the office of medical student research. The fellowship funds 12 months of research between the third and fourth year of medical school, allowing students to fully immerse themselves in a project and write a first-author primary research article stemming from their work. The fellowship will also support Mr. Farris' research, conducted under the guidance of Drs. Henny Billett and Craig Branch. 

And The Memmy Goes to — A team of second-year medical students earned second-place honors in the Medical Emmy (Memmys) contest for their submission, “Hell (Little School),” a parody of “Belle” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The Memmys is a contest hosted by the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. It selects the best medical student-produced music video each year. The winning team included Charlotte Delaney, Lucas Man, Sam Kiernan, Evan Tamura, Karen Hsu, Jon Friedman, Yoshi Shapiro, Diana Nguyen, Elise Perlman, Kevin Frison, Ian Downs, Avigayil Ribner, Faraz Alizadeh and fourth-year CG Ovits. As a result of their achievement, $1,000 will be awarded to Einstein’s D. Samuel Gottesman Library. 

Stellar Scholars — First-year medical students, Joanna Mergeche, Michio Taya and Daniel Santos have been awarded 2014 Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) scholarships. The students will conduct research in geriatrics and aging under the mentorship of Drs. Helena Blumen, Jill Crandall, and Joe Verghese, respectively. Administered by the American Federation for Aging Research, the National Institute on Aging and the Hartford Foundation, the MSTAR program aims to provide extracurricular research and mentorship opportunities for physicians-in-training in order to encourage pursuit of academic careers in aging, ranging from basic science to clinical research to health services research. Now celebrating its 20^th anniversary, MSTAR also invites participants to present their work at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society. Dr. Blumen is assistant professor of medicine; Dr. Crandall is professor of clinical medicine; and Dr. Verghese is professor of medicine and chief of the division of geriatrics, as well as professor of neurology, and director of the Jack and Pearl Resnick Gerontology Center and the Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain.

Stellar Student — First-year medical student Joseph Gotesman was invited to attend the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) annual meeting. He also was selected to make a presentation on his work with Einstein Veterans, a grassroots initiative committed to assisting local, Bronx veterans by connecting them to benefits, housing, employment and other essential services. The CGIU, founded by President Bill Clinton, works to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world in an attempt to implement solutions to global problems.

Honoring Promising Research — sixth-year M.D.-Ph.D. candidate Ujunwa Okoye-Okafor received a Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award at this year’s annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Ms. Okoye-Okafor also was invited to present her noteworthy progress in cancer research as a student in the laboratory of Dr. Ulrich Steidl. Dr. Steidl is associate professor of cell biology and of medicine, as well as the Diane and Arthur B. Belfer Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research.

Offering a Perspective — Christy Duan, a member of Einstein’s class of 2016, wrote an op/ed piece that was published in the Detroit Free Press on December 16, 2013. The newspaper is in her home state of Michigan. In her op/ed, Ms. Duan noted that the $11 billion in President Obama’s proposed budget cuts would eliminate funding from graduating medical education, making placement of future doctors into medical residencies more difficult to secure and creating further job shortages among physicians.

Inaugural Aging Award — Einstein students Orli Haken and Robert Tamayev have been selected as the inaugural recipients of the Burton P. Resnick Medical Student Research Award in Aging established by the medical school’s Jack and Pearl Resnick Gerontology Center. The new award, which honors Burton P. Resnick, chair emeritus of Einstein’s Board of Overseers, recognizes noteworthy research by medical and M.D.-Ph.D. students involved in studies of aging. Ms. Haken, a second-year medical student, mentored by Dr. Helena Blumen, assistant professor of medicine, was honored for her research showing a relationship between leisure time and gray matter volume in the elderly. Mr. Tamayev, a seventh-year M.D.-Ph.D. student, mentored by Dr. Luciano D’Adamio, professor of microbiology & immunology, was recognized for his studies exploring synaptic and memory deficits in mouse models of dementia.