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MD-PhD Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

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Find medical research opportunities for undergraduates on medical school campuses.

MD-PhD-specific Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Hanover, N.H. MD-PhD Undergraduate Summer (MPUS) Fellowship

Harvard Medical School Boston, MA Summer Institute in Biomedical Informatics

Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Boston, MA Harvard/MIT Equitable Access to Research Training (HEART) MD–PhD Summer Program

Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Ind. Undergraduate Research for Prospective Physician-Scientists and Physician-Engineers

Ohio State University Medical Center Columbus, Ohio ASPIRE Medical Research Program

State University of New York Upstate Medical University Syracuse, NY Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Physician Scientist Program (SURF-PS)

University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Ala. Summer in Biological Sciences (SIBS) Undergraduate Research Program

Companion program for URM Preparation for Graduate and Medical Education (PARAdiGM) Program

University of California San Diego San Diego, Calif. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program

University of California, San Diego La Jolla, CA The UCSD MSTP Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio  Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Iowa City, Iowa Summer Undergraduate MSTP Research (SUMR) Program

University of Minnesota Medical School Twin Cities Minneapolis, Minn. Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, N.Y. MSTP Summer Scholars Program

University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Medicine & Public Health Madison, WI MSTP Summer Scholars Program

Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tenn Vanderbilt MSTP Summer Research Program

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis St. Louis, Mo. MSTP ACCESS Program

Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering New York, N.Y. Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program

Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx, N.Y. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Augusta University Augusta, Ga. Summer Student Training and Research (STAR)

Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas Summer Medical and Research Training (SMART) Program

Boston University School of Medicine Boston, Mass. Summer Student Training and Research (STAR)

Brigham and Women's Hospital  (in collaboration with Harvard-affiliated hospitals) Boston, Mass. Harvard Summer Research Program in Kidney Medicine

Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio Case Summer Research Programs

Children's Hospital Research Foundation of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Division of Developmental Biology Undergraduate Summer Student Program

City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute Duarte, Calif. Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy

Committee on Institutional Cooperation Champaign, Ill. Summer Research Opportunities Program

Creighton University Omaha, Neb. Undergraduate Biomedical Research Training Program

Dell Medical School - The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Dell Medical School’s LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes’ Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Drexel University College of Medicine Philadelphia, Pa. Biomedical Graduate Studies-Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute Atlanta, Ga B&B Summer Scholars Program

Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School New York, N.Y. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Harvard Medical School Boston, Mass. Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP)

Hofstra North Shore/LIJ School of Medicine   Manhasset, N.Y. Feinstein Institute for Medical Research Student Intern Program 

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Md. Summer Internship Program (SIP)

Keck Graduate Institute Claremont, Calif. Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program

Louisiana State Health Sciences Center Shreveport Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Neuroscience Shreveport, La. Summer Undergraduate Pharmacology Experience in Research Program (SUPER)

Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine   Chicago, Ill. Undergraduate Summer Research Program, Department of Microbiology & Immunology  Summer Undergraduate Research program, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Maine Medical Center Research Institute Scarborough, Maine Summer Student Research Program at main Medical Center Research Institute

Massachusetts General Hospital Multicultural Affairs Office Boston, Mass. Summer Research Trainee Program

Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minn. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisc. Summer Program for Undergraduate Research Summer Enrichment Programs

Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, S.C. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center New York, N.Y. Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Medical Student Summer Fellowship Research Program Molecular Imaging Summer Program (MISP)

Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation Minneapolis, Minn. Summer Research Internships in Clinical Cardiology

Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, N.Y. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Md. Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research

New York University School of Medicine New York, N.Y. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Evanston, Ill. Summer Research Opportunity Program

Oregon Health and Science University Portland, Ore. Summer Research Programs

Penn State University, College of Medicine Hershey, Pa. SURIP – Summer Undergraduate Research Internship Program STEP-UP - Short-Term Educational Program for Underrepresented Persons SURF – American Heart Association Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, Calif. Stanford Summer Research Program (SSRP)/Amgen Scholars

Stony Brook University School of Medicine Stony Brook, NY Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program

Texas A&M University College of Medicine Bryan, Texas Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences   Lubbock, Texas Summer Accelerated Biomedical Research (SABR) Program 

Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pa. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Tufts University Boston, Mass. Sackler School Summer Research Programs

University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Ala. Summer Research Programs for Undergraduates

University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Summer Undergraduate Research Program BLAISER Program

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine Little Rock, AR Summer Research Fellowships for Undergraduate Students UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program to Increase Diversity in Research

University at Buffalo (SUNY) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Buffalo, N.Y. Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine Irvine, CA Summer Undergraduate Research Program

University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research

University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA Summer Research Training Program

University of Chicago Chicago. Ill. The Leadership Alliance & The University of Chicago Summer Research Early Identification Program The Pritzker School of Medicine Experience in Research (PSOMER)

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, Ohio Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Denver, Colo. Graduate Experience for Multicultural Students (GEMS)

University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington, Conn. Undergraduate Summer Research

University of Georgia Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute Athens, Ga. Summer Undergraduate Fellows

University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, Ill. Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) 

University of Kansas Lawrence, Kan. Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

University of Kentucky Lexington, Ky. NSF-REU: Summer Program in the Biomedical Sciences

University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville, Ky. Cancer Biology Training Program

University of Maryland Baltimore, Md. Office of Student Research

University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, Mass. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University New Brunswick, N.J. Undergraduate Summer Research

University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine Miami, FL. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. UM-SMART Undergrad Summer Program

University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minn. Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Programs (LSSURP)

University of Mississippi Jackson, Miss. Summer Research Internship in Medical Sciences

University of Missouri Columbia, MO Summer Research Internship in Medical Sciences

University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, Neb. Undergraduate Summer Research Program

University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Neb. Summer Undergraduate Research Program

University of New Mexico School of Medicine Albuquerque, N.M. Undergraduate Pipeline Network Summer Research Program

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, Okla. Native American Center for Health Research Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Stephenson Cancer Center Summer Undergraduate Program

University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa. Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (SUIP) Undergraduate Clinical Scholars Program

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, Pa. Summer Undergraduate Research Programs Premedical Academic Enrichment Program MIDAS summer Research Opportunity Undergraduate Summer Research Opportunities Training and Experimentation in Computational Biology

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Rochester, N.Y. MSTP Summer Scholars Strong Children’s Research Center Summer Program

University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston Houston, Texas Summer Undergraduate Research Program

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Smithville, Texas Summer Program in Cancer Research

University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Texas Computational Cancer Biology Training Program Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Program Summer Internship in Tropical Diseases Research

University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio San Antonio, Texas GSBS Summer Undergraduate Research Programs

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas, Texas Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah Native American Summer Research Internship (NARI)

University of Virginia School of Medicine Charlottesville, Va. Minority Health International Research Training Program (MHIRT) Summer Research Internship Program

University of Washington School of Medicine Seattle, WA University of Washington Summer Undergraduate Research Program

University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisc. Integrated Biological Sciences Summer Research Program Summer Research Opportunity Programs

Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Va. Summer Research in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health Epidemiology (MIDPH) 

Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, N.C. Summer Research Opportunities Program

Washington University St. Louis, Mo. BioMedRAP AMGEN Scholars Program MSTP ACCESS Program

Wayne State University School of Medicine Detroit, Mich. SURE Programs

West Virigina Univeristy Morgantown, WV MD/PhD Summer Research Internship

Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering New York, N.Y. Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program Weill Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program Computational Biology Summer Program (CBSP) Chemical Biology Summer Program (ChBSP) Engineering Summer Program (ESP)

Yale School of Medicine New Haven, Conn. NIH-NIDDK/KUH Yale Summer Research Fellowship for Undergraduate Students BioMed Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

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Individual Fellowships

Ruth L. Kirschstein Individual Predoctoral NRSA for MD/​PhD and other Dual Degree Fellowships

Program purpose.

The purpose of this Kirschstein-NRSA program is to enhance the integrated research and clinical training of promising predoctoral students, who are matriculated in a combined MD/PhD or other dual-doctoral degree training program (e.g. DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, DVM/PhD), and who intend careers as physician-scientists or other clinician-scientists.

Eligibility

Career level.

U.S. citizen or permanent resident, enrolled in a dual-degree program.

Graduate/Clinical Doctorate

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U.S. domestic institutions

Currently Supported Investigators

Stipend levels & info.

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Policy Notices

• NOT-OD-24-107: Implementation of Revisions to the NIH and AHRQ Fellowship Application and Review Process
• NOT-OD-24-084: Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025
• NOT-OD-23-111: Reminder – NIH Policies for NRSA Stipends, Compensation and Other Income
• NOT-OD-23-076: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2023
• NOT-OD-22-190: Adjustments to NIH and AHRQ Grant Application Due Dates Between September 22 and September 30, 2022
• NOT-OD-22-132: Correction to Stipend Levels for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2022
• NOT-OD-21-177: Announcement of Childcare Costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Awards
• NOT-OD-21-074: Announcement of Childcare Costs for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellows
• NOT-OD-21-052: Reminder – Requesting Extensions for Early Career Scientists Whose Career Trajectories Have Been Significantly Impacted by COVID-19
• NOT-OD-21-049: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2021

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The Dartmouth MD-PhD Undergraduate Summer (MPUS) Fellowship Program is an educational initiative aimed at exposing undergraduates across the US interested in medical science to the vibrant career pathway of the physician-scientist. To this end, the MPUS Fellowship program highly encourages applications from undergraduate students from all every segment of society who are interested in pursuing a dual MD-PhD degree pathway.

During this 8-week fellowship running from mid-June until mid-August, Fellows will be exposed to basic medical science research by conducting innovative research alongside one of our MD-PhD students presently in the PhD portion of their training. Additionally, Fellows will have the opportunity to examine the clinical aspect of medicine during weekly rounds with one of Dartmouth's illustrious clinical faculty at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). Finally, Fellows will be exposed to the wonderful community of MD-PhD students at Dartmouth and get to better understand the role of, and opportunities available to, the physician-scientist in training. Who knows? This could be you in the very near future!

If this appeals to you, then do apply! We look forward to reading your application.

Geisel School of Medicine  •  MD-PhD Program at Geisel  •  Dartmouth College

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Program Overview

The MD/PhD Partnership Training Program is designed to encourage the success and development of students pursuing a future as physician-scientists in basic and translational biomedical research. The program fosters innovative and interdisciplinary PhD partnerships in an accelerated setting with a completion time of approximately four years. Scholars enrolled in this program have the opportunity to take advantage of the unique resources available at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the NIH Clinical Research Center and the many options for collaboration provided by the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program (GPP).

Intramural investigators established and continue to develop the MD/PhD Partnership Training Program at the NIH to train and motivate the next generation of physician-scientists. Since the NIH does not grant MD or PhD degrees, this program is affiliated with partnering medical schools in the United States during the student’s MD phase of training, and with partnering universities in the United States and other countries during the student’s PhD phase of training.

Students applying to or enrolled in a U.S. clinical degree program, medical school or Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) are eligible and encouraged to apply for the NIH MD/PhD Partnership Program . Please note that program participation must be approved by the student's home institution. Students enrolled in a participating school and the NIH OxCam Program are eligible to receive additional funds to support their medical education. The PhD phase of training is fully-funded.  

NIH MD/PhD Program Training Pathways

Students may pursue dual-degree training through the NIH MD/PhD Partnership Training Program via one of two academic tracks. More detailed information about eligibility requirements and the application process is listed on the individual track pages.  

• Students enrolled in combined degree training benefit from the specialized curriculum offered to MD/PhD students at their medical school, which often includes coursework and seminars designed for combined degree trainees, as well as modified clinical rotation requirements.  
• Partnership students are tracked and receive career advice from a group of dedicated NIH-based MD/PhD advisors.  
• Students may take advantage of customized clinical activities at NIH and partner institutions while in the research phase of training, capitalizing on the resources of the NIH clinical center, the largest research hospital in the world, and first-rate clinical resources at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.  
• Tuition and stipend benefits are offered to students who enroll at a participating medical school that receives MSTP funding on a competitive basis.  
• Students who enroll at a participating medical school or clinical program are eligible to receive tuition and stipend support via the NIH MSPP individual fellowship. 

• Weill Cornell Medicine
• Rockefeller
• Sloan Kettering

Grants, Fellowships, and Awards

External funding sources and awards granted to current md-phd students.

Tri-I MD-PhD students have been extremely successful in obtaining external funding for their research . Beyond the awards themselves, the process of applying for external grants is a useful part of students’ professional training and is actively encouraged and supported by the Program faculty.

Currently , over 30 students in the Tri-I MD-PhD Program and at least 50% of each incoming class have an NRSA pre-doctoral training grant ( F30 ) from the:

• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD )
• National Cancer Institute (NCI )
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH )
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (MHLBI)
• National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases (NIAID)
• National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Additionally, current Tri-I MD-PhD students have been awarded funding from the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDESG) and the --> Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans , the Department of Defense, and the American Heart Foundation.

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Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship Program

The overall goal of the Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship program is to achieve excellence in clinical pharmacology education through mentored research, structured teaching and self-guided instruction. Comprised of trainees with an MD, PhD or PharmD degree, our program has successfully produced graduates who have advanced to prominent positions in academia, industry and regulatory agencies.

The Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship program is generally completed within two years, and is weighted primarily towards learning through mentored research. Formal coursework and directed learning, including weekly division grand rounds, fellows’ conferences and didactic courses, also provide education in core skills that can be individualized for each fellow’s chosen career path. Because of this, more traditional lab-based postdoctoral trainees are encouraged to utilize Vanderbilt’s clinical research resources, while clinically trained individuals become familiar with relevant basic science research concepts.

Upon completion of at least two years of approved fellowship training, as well as participation and completion of the educational curriculum of the Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship Program, trainees are eligible to sit for the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology board exam.

Program curriculum

Although the program is primarily structured around supervised research, there are several expectations to ensure fellows are adequately prepared to sit for the board exam:

• Acquire fundamental research skills through mentored research
• Attain competency in the areas outlined by the core skills below through structured and informal teaching and self-study
• Attend all Clinical Pharmacology Grand Rounds and Fellows’ Conferences
• Present at Clinical Pharmacology Grand Rounds
• Actively contribute to the success of the program

Fellows are also strongly encouraged to form a mentoring committee. Mentoring committees are required for all T32 fellows who have access to one of two standing T32 mentoring committees led by our faculty. Meetings are coordinated every six months by the mentee, and discussions are guided by a pre-developed mentoring committee. Fellows obtaining training in clinical pharmacology, including all T32 fellows and anyone intending to sit for the board exam, must attend the majority of educational programs and obtain education in all elements of the program’s core curriculum. Those wishing to write for the Clinical Pharmacology board exam must also provide an annual written report summarizing their educational progress.

Core Skills in Clinical Pharmacology

Key skills and knowledge that are integral to clinical pharmacology have been identified below, and essential courses are in bold. • Basic molecular biology

• Covers study design, basic statistical methods (parametric and non-parametric), hands on use of SPSS Statistics, or a similar package, common statistical errors, and data presentation
• Career planning
• Drug analytic methods
• Drug effects and disposition in special populations (elderly, children, pregnancy liver and renal impairment, pregnancy and lactation)
• Covers history of the FDA, the new drug application and approval process, the FDA Advisory Committee process, drug discovery, biomarkers and outcome measures, intellectual property issues, preclinical testing, and early clinical development
• Drug safety - surveillance, adverse drugs reactions and drug interactions
• Grant writing and strategy
• Pharmacogenetics
• Covers absorption, metabolism and excretion, basic pharmacokinetic calculations, effect of variation in drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters and pharmacogenetics
• Presenting data and teaching skills
• Covers ethics of research, protection of human subjects, protection of privacy, responsibilities of an investigator, the role and function of the IRB and data safety monitoring
• Toxicology and poisoning
• Writing and reviewing a paper

Conferences

Vanderbilt provides a rich postgraduate education experience. In addition to mentored research, fellows’ training is supplemented by weekly Clinical Pharmacology Grand Rounds, conferences and formal courses. Regular attendance at prearranged seminar series, as well as attendance at lectures relevant to career enhancement, will strengthen the fellow’s overall educational experience.

Weekly Clinical Pharmacology Grand Rounds feature presentations by external speakers, faculty, and fellows on research or topics that are of interest to clinical pharmacologists. All fellows are expected to attend.

Fellows’ Conferences are arranged weekly by the Chief Fellow, and include journal clubs, formal lectures by faculty and fellows, biostatistics lectures, and faculty roadshow lectures where faculty give talks they have been invited to deliver at other institutions. All fellows are expected to attend.

Most formal courses are provided by the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and the Department of Pharmacology, while others are provided by the Vanderbilt Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) Program, the Vanderbilt Clinical Research Center, and the National Institutes of Health. Courses required of fellows include:

• Research Ethics and IRB Processes: This course covers ethics of research, protection of human subjects, protection of privacy, responsibilities of an investigator, the role and function of the IRB, and data safety monitoring.
• Biostatistics and Study Design: This course includes study design, basic statistical methods (parametric and non-parametric), common statistical errors, data presentation, and hands on use of SPSS or a similar package.
• Drug Regulation and Development (MSCI): This course covers history of the FDA, the new drug application and approval process, the FDA Advisory Committee process, drug discovery, biomarkers and outcome measures, intellectual property issues, preclinical testing and early clinical development.
• Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics (Pharmacology): This course covers absorption, metabolism and excretion, basic pharmacokinetic calculations, effect of variation in drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters and pharmacogenetics. 
• "Principles of Clinical Pharmacology" (NIH): An online course that has a weekly series that covers the fundamentals of clinical pharmacology.

The division also arranges a Fellows Research “Bootcamp,” which includes a three- to four-hour Saturday morning immersion experience for new fellows. While the course is designed primarily for Clinical Pharmacology fellows, it is open to other fellows at Vanderbilt. This course takes place at the beginning of each academic year and provides training to jumpstart research. Topics include choosing your mentor and project; introduction to IRB and human subjects research; how to start a clinical research project at Vanderbilt; creating a database - BioVU and the synthetic derivative; and calculating sample size.

Application information

We are currently accepting applications for our Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship Program. To apply, please submit a letter of application stating why you wish to train in Clinical Pharmacology via email to Dr. Bjorn Knollmann along with the following:

• Indicate if you are eligible for a T32 training grant (must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Indicate if you have identified a source of funding that will support your salary during fellowship training

VUMC welcomes applications from all individuals who come from diverse populations that are underrepresented in science or academia, including, but not limited to, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, and individuals with physical disabilities. If you would like to let us know how you might contribute to diversity in this way, please indicate which of these categories you identify with when you complete your application.

If you have additional questions, please contact us.

For more information on living and working in Nashville, click here .

What is a T32 fellow?

The NIH provides funding for the training of seven fellows in the T32 program. T32 fellows are supported for two years and must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Is this a two-year program?

The T32 program is two years, and most other fellows stay one to three years depending on the source of their funding and career goals.

When does the program start?

While most T32 fellows start in July, the program has rolling start dates that depend on the individual’s funding, mentor needs, visa, etc. There is no formal closing date for applications.

How do I apply for T32 fellowship?

Please reference the application process outlined above, and indicate if you are eligible for a T32 position.

What is the primary source of funding support for trainees?

Positions for fellows are funded through the division’s NIH training grant. To be eligible for funding through the NIH training grant, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Does the program accept non-U.S. citizens/permanent residents?

Yes, non-U.S. citizens/permanent residents are accepted into the program. However, they are not eligible for NIH T32 funding, so they many come with their own funding from a home institution, or find a Vanderbilt mentor who has grant funding that requires a fellow. To connect with a mentor, please explore our lab and research centers for faculty working in your area and contact them directly.

How are T32 positions allocated?

T32 positions are competitive, and we select individuals with the greatest academic potential in clinical pharmacology.

Am I competitive for a T32 position?

Successful candidates have already demonstrated a commitment to research by publishing papers and exhibiting future career plans that involve clinical pharmacology.

Can I be a clinical pharmacology fellow if I am not a T32 fellow? Yes. We have approximately 30 fellows, eight of which are funded by the T32 training grant. Others are funded by individual research grants. To secure such a position, you should contact individual mentors for whom your skills are a good fit.

Do I get a degree or certificate?

No, this is not a degree or certificate awarding program. Individuals who complete training may be eligible to sit for the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology exam.

Program Leadership

Bjorn Knollmann, MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine Fellowship Program Director

Google PhD fellowship program

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.

Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

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Program details

Application status, how to apply, research areas of focus, review criteria, award recipients.

Applications are now open.

Submit by 11:59:59pm UTC-12 (AoE) May 8, 2024. Notification of decisions will be announced via email in July 2024.

• Launch March 27, 2024
• Deadline May 8, 2024
• Winner selected by July 31, 2024

The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.

PhD students must be nominated by their university. Applications should be submitted by an official representative of the university during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Australia and New Zealand

Canada and the United States

PhD students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan must be nominated by their university. After the university's nomination is completed, either an official representative of the university or the nominated students can submit applications during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

India and Southeast Asia

PhD students apply directly during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Latin America

The 2024 application cycle is postponed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

Algorithms and Theory

Distributed Systems and Parallel Computing

Health and Bioscience

Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization

Machine Intelligence

Machine Perception

Natural Language Processing

Quantum Computing

Security, Privacy and Abuse Prevention

Software Engineering

Software Systems

Speech Processing

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field. Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.

In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Late-stage PhD students

• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Southeast Asia

• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?

Africa, Australia/New Zealand , Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States : universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions : All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

All regions

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
• Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand : early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States : students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Latin America : incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

What should be included in an application? What language should the application be in?

All application materials should be submitted in English.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
• Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
• Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
• Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

• Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program? Who should submit the applications? Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States : students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

How many students may each university nominate?

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand : universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States : Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe : Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

How are applications evaluated?

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

How are Google PhD Fellowships given?

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for other Google scholarships?

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships .

After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?

After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.

What is the program application time period?

Applications for the 2024 program will open in March 2024 and close in May 2024 for all regions. Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s application details.

A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.

How can I ask additional questions?

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: [email protected]

Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]

Canada and the United States: [email protected]

East Asia: [email protected]

Europe: [email protected]

India: [email protected]

Latin America: [email protected]

Southeast Asia: [email protected]

See past PhD Fellowship recipients.

Discover our collection of tools and resources

Browse our library of open source projects, public datasets, APIs and more to find the tools you need to tackle your next challenge or fuel your next breakthrough.

• Nebraska Medicine
• Current Students
• Current Faculty

Integrated Residency Program

The six-year integrated program trains residents in the full spectrum of plastic surgery and provides them with the tools to both collaborate with other surgical subspecialists and pursue further fellowship training.

The initial two years involve training in plastic surgery, general surgery and surgical subspecialties aimed at providing a broad, interdisciplinary surgical exposure. This involves education in plastic surgery, as well as the related fields of anesthesiology, burn management, critical care medicine, dermatology, emergency medicine, general surgery, neurosurgery, oculoplastic surgery, oncologic surgery, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery, pediatric surgery, thoracic surgery, transplant surgery, trauma management, urology and vascular surgery.

The training lays the foundation for attaining broad surgical knowledge before four years of concentrated plastic surgery training, which includes one year of chief resident responsibility. During these years, residents complete rotations in acute plastic surgery, burn/wound, head and neck/craniofacial and aesthetic surgery.

We offer one categorical position for training in plastic surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. We welcome foreign medical graduates to apply. For more information, please read through the international graduate criteria .

Applicants must submit all necessary materials via the Plastic Surgery Common Application  by November 1. Applications received after that date will not be accepted. Please do not fax, e-mail, or mail application materials unless specifically requested to do so. Any materials received outside of common application will not be considered. 

• All applications must be submitted through Plastic Surgery Common Application
• Three letters of recommendation, at least one from a plastic surgeon
• Graduation from medical school within the last five years
• Activity in clinical medicine within the past five years
• Clinical experience in the United States
• First time passage of USMLE Step 1 and 2

Interview dates will be scheduled between the months of November and January. Upon acceptance of your application, you will be contacted by the program coordinator to schedule an interview. The final applications will be evaluated by the plastic surgery core faculty and ranked and submitted to the National Resident Matching Program .

• Medical students:  The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine posts senior/final level of medical school elective opportunities in the  Visiting Student Learning Opportunities   program application service.
• Independent program requests: All requests must be submitted with no less than three months prior to the requested time to the program coordinator.
• All elective rotation requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to availability. Requesting residents and students are responsible for their own travel expenses, meals, housing, licensing, etc. Resident rotators from other institutions will require a program letter of agreement.

• UNC Chapel Hill

Department of Pediatrics

Corinne keet, md, phd.

Professor of Pediatrics

Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research

Associate Director of Children's Research Institute

Co-Director of Carolina Child Health Scholars

Contact Information

• UNC Children's Profile
• Publications
• Carolina Child Health Scholars

Dr. Corinne Keet is a specialist in the field of allergy and immunology. She routinely provides clinical care through the Pediatric Allergy Clinic and as an Attending Physician on the Allergy/Immunology inpatient consult at UNC Children’s. She is also the Associate Editor for Food Allergy at the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the leading journal in the field.

Dr. Keet’s NIH-sponsored research is focused on the prevention, management, and long-term outcomes of pediatric allergies. Specifically, her research aims to identify environmental factors which contribute to food allergy, atopic dermatitis, and asthma and find practical solutions to prevent and treat these diseases. Her research initiatives have included:

• Investigating environmental risk factors, biomarkers and mechanisms of early life food allergy and atopic dermatitis in a large multi-center birth cohort and in large national surveys.
• Better understanding which infants are most at risk for peanut allergy and which tests best identify those with allergy.
• Evaluating how a housing intervention affects asthma activity in children who live in poor urban neighborhoods.
• Understanding the relationship between food sensitization and cardiovascular disease.
• Testing novel treatments for food allergy.

Undergraduate

University of California at Berkeley

Medical School

University of California at San Francisco

Residency in Pediatrics

Johns Hopkins Hospital

Fellowship in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Doctor of Philosophy

Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Social Media

UCI School of Medicine Recognizes Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month: Mehdi Abouzari, MD, PhD

In our present moment, new histories are being written through the passionate and innovative care that our colleagues bring to work everyday. It is our honor and privilege to work alongside these men and women and countless others throughout our school – true champions of diversity, equity and inclusion who are leaving an indelible mark on the future of our campus and their respective fields of medicine.

Mehdi Abouzari , MD, PhD, assistant professor and Wellness Officer in the Department of Otolaryngology, has been recognized by colleagues for his mentorship of diverse individuals across the medical education continuum, including undergraduates, medical students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, research coordinators and junior specialists.

“Mentoring is my passion and by championing the diversity of my mentees, my goal is to reduce inequities and inequalities that they face throughout their career,” says Dr. Abouzari.

Dr. Abouzari has dedicated extensive research and practice in pursuit of gender equity in the field of otolaryngology. In 2023, Dr. Abouzari and several colleagues from UCI’s Department of Otolaryngology published an article in Head & Neck that analyzed gender disparities in female authorship and citation among the 100 most-cited articles in the field of head and neck surgery. In addition, he has actively diversified his research team, demonstrating a commitment to working with immigrants who speak English as a second language, as well as female students from medical schools without a home otolaryngology program. These efforts were recognized in 2020 when the UCI Graduate Division awarded Dr. Abouzari the Tom Angell Fellowship Award.

When asked about the impact of his Iranian American identity on his work, he stated, “I have personally experienced how being a minority in terms of language, race and cultural background can impact you by making you feel different with a touch of isolation at times. Trying to fit into the new academic and professional environment required me to enhance my confidence, strengthen my skills and learn to communicate in a professional language that was much different from what I had been accustomed to.”

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Media Contacts

Matt Miller Director, Communications and Public Relations [email protected]

Michelle Strombeck Manager, Communications and Public Relations 312-498-8208 [email protected]

Related Faculty/Staff

Assistant Professor, Surgery

Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology

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Brain organoids and assembloids are new models for elucidating, treating neurodevelopmental disorders

Stanford Medicine research on Timothy syndrome — which predisposes newborns to autism and epilepsy — may extend well beyond the rare genetic disorder to schizophrenia and other conditions.

April 24, 2024 - By Bruce Goldman, Erin Digitale

In this 2019 photo, Timothy syndrome patient Holden Hulet, left, rides in a side-by-side ATV driven by his dad, Kelby Hulet, at sand dunes near their home in southern Utah.  Courtesy of the Hulet family

For a long time, no one understood that Holden Hulet was having seizures.

“He would just say ‘I feel tingly, and my vision kind of goes blurry,’” said Holden’s mom, JJ Hulet. “But he couldn’t communicate exactly what was going on.”

JJ and Kelby Hulet could see their son was having short spells of incoherent speech, rapid back-and-forth eye movements and odd physical changes. “He’d kind of go — I don’t want to say ‘limp’ because he would stand just fine — but his body would just be in zombie mode,” JJ said. The episodes lasted less than a minute.

The parents were puzzled and worried, as they had been many times since Holden was born in 2008 and they learned that their newborn had an extremely rare genetic disease. “I was thinking it was his heart,” Kelby Hulet, Holden’s dad, said.

Holden’s condition, Timothy syndrome, causes long, irregular gaps in heart rhythm. He spent his first six months hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit in his family’s home state of Utah while he grew big enough to receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. The device sends an electrical signal to restart his heart when it pauses for too long.

As a small child, Holden would sometimes pass out before the defibrillator shocked his heart back into action. When Holden started telling his parents about the blurry-vision episodes at age 6, Kelby initially believed it was a new version of the same problem, and he kept a time stamp on his phone for each episode. But the records from Holden’s defibrillator showed that these times did not line up with any heart-rhythm problems.

The family’s pediatrician was confused, too. Perhaps Holden was having periods of low blood sugar, another possible Timothy syndrome complication, he suggested. Initial testing at the local medical center did not turn up clear answers.

But Kelby, who was training to become an operating room nurse, realized Holden’s episodes reminded him of what he was learning about warning signs for stroke. JJ called Holden’s cardiologist in Utah and asked for a detailed neurologic evaluation, which enabled the mysterious episodes to be diagnosed as seizures. Holden began taking anti-seizure medication, which helped, to his parents’ great relief.

Researching a rare disease

A few months after Holden was born, Sergiu Pasca , MD, arrived at Stanford Medicine to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Ricardo Dolmetsch, PhD, then an assistant professor of neurobiology, who was redirecting his research to autism spectrum disorder. At the time, Pasca did not know the Hulet family. But his work soon became focused on the disorder that has shaped Holden’s life.

Caused by a defective gene on the 12th chromosome, Timothy syndrome is vanishingly rare, with no more than 70 diagnosed cases. Children with this disorder rarely survive to late adolescence. It is caused by a mutation in the gene coding for a type of calcium channel — a protein containing a pore that selectively opens or closes, respectively permitting or blocking the flow of calcium across cells’ membranes. While a prominent feature — severe heart malfunction — can be tackled with a pacemaker, most children with Timothy syndrome will end up with lifelong brain disorders including autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia.

By mid-2009, Pasca had succeeded in generating nerve cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (which can be induced to form virtually any of the body’s numerous cell types). These included cells derived from the skin of two patients with Timothy syndrome. Later that year he observed defects in how the patient-derived neurons were handling calcium. This advance — the creation of one of the initial in-a-dish models of brain disease, built from neurons with defects that precisely mirrored those of a patient’s brain — was published in Nature Medicine in 2011.

Pasca and colleagues continued to monitor these Timothy-syndrome neurons in standard two-dimensional culture — growing as single layers in petri dishes — over the next few years. While this two-dimensional culture method was limited in its ability to sustain viable neurons, it was soon superseded by a genuine scientific breakthrough.

Pioneering the first assembloids

The constraints of two-dimensional culture, including the inability to keep these neurons for long periods of time so that they could reach key stages of neural development, prompted Pasca in 2011 to start developing an unprecedented three-dimensional method. The novel technology produced what came to be known as brain organoids. These constructs recapitulated some of the architecture and physiology of the human cerebral cortex. The organoids can survive for several years in culture, enabling neuroscientists to view, non-invasively, the developing human brain up close and in real time. The scientists wrote a seminal Nature Methods paper , published in 2015, that described their discovery.

Pasca’s group subsequently showed that culturing brain organoids in different ways could generate organoids representing different brain regions (in this case, the cerebral cortex and a fetal structure called the subpallium). In a breakthrough set of experiments, Pasca’s team found ways to bring these organoids into contact so that they fuse and forge complex neuronal connections mimicking those that arise during natural fetal and neonatal development. Pasca named such constructs assembloids.

In their paper on the research, which was published in Nature in 2017, Pasca’s team showed that after fusion, a class of inhibitory neurons originating in the subpallium migrates to the cortex, proceeding in discrete, stuttering jumps. (See animation .) These migrating neurons, called interneurons, upon reaching their destinations — excitatory neurons of the cortex — form complex circuits with those cortical neurons.

But in assembloids derived from Timothy syndrome patients, the motion of interneurons as they migrate from the subpallium is impaired — they jump forward more often, but each jump is considerably shorter, so they fail to integrate into the appropriate circuitry in the cortex. This wreaks havoc with signaling in cortical circuits. Pasca’s team tied this aberrant neuronal behavior on the part of Timothy syndrome neurons to the key molecular consequence of the genetic defect responsible for the condition: namely, malfunction of the critical channels through which calcium must pass to cross neurons’ outer membranes.

A family’s struggles

While Pasca was developing assembloids, the Hulet family was progressing through their own journey of discovery with Holden. They faced painful uncertainty at every stage, starting when Holden was discharged from the NICU in the summer of 2009, after several months of hospitalization and multiple heart surgeries.

“Even when we brought him home, [his doctors] said ‘Don’t get your hopes up. We don’t usually see them make it past age 2,” JJ recalled. Many children with Timothy syndrome die from cardiac failure in early life.

“It’s really hard to be positive in that kind of situation, and for a long time I did let it get to me,” JJ said. “I finally got to a point where I said, ‘I have to live my life and we just keep fighting.’”

JJ runs a child care center and has years of experience working with special-needs kids, which motivated her to push for an autism evaluation when she saw signs of autism in Holden. He’s much more verbal than many children with autism, which paradoxically made it more difficult to get an official diagnosis.

“That was frustrating,” JJ said. Although the family’s pediatric cardiologist in Salt Lake City was familiar with the vagaries of Timothy syndrome, their local caregivers in the small town where they live in southern Utah were not. “They kept saying ‘Oh, no, it’s just developmental delays because he was so premature,’” she said. She wonders whether it would have been easier to have Holden’s autism diagnosed had more been known about Timothy syndrome at the time.

“I think research is important so that parents and children have the support they need,” she said, noting how lonely and painful it can be to advocate for a child when his condition is poorly understood — and when, as a parent, you may be doubted by medical professionals. “It’s a really hard thing to deal with.”

Her voice breaks briefly. She continues, “I think research brings validity to that.”

Sergiu Pasca

Implanting organoids

In 2022, Pasca published a  study in  Nature describing the transplantation of human cortical organoids into neonatal rats’ brains, which resulted in the integration of human neurons along with supporting brain cells into the brain tissue of rats to form hybridized working circuits. The implanted human organoids survived, thrived and grew. Individual neurons from the human organoids integrated into young rats’ brains were at least six times as big as those — generated the same way, at the same time — that remained in a dish. The transplanted neurons also exhibited much more sophisticated branching patterns. Pasca and his colleagues observed marked differences in the electrical activity of, on one hand, human neurons generated from a Timothy syndrome patient, cultured as organoids and transplanted into one side of a rat’s brain, and, on the other hand, those generated from a healthy individual and transplanted, as an organoid, into the corresponding spot on the other side of the same rat’s brain. The Timothy syndrome neurons were also much smaller and were deficient in sprouting branching, brush-like extensions called dendrites, which act as antennae for input from nearby neurons.

“We’ve learned a lot about Timothy syndrome by studying organoids and assembloids kept in a dish,” Pasca said. “But only with transplantation were we able to convincingly see these neuronal-activity-related differences.”

That same year, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was signed into law, exempting certain categories of new drug-development protocols from previously mandated animal testing. The act was predicated on the understanding that recent advancements in science offer increasingly viable alternatives to animal testing, so the findings based on the organoid- and assembloid-culture technologies may be adequate to justify clinical trials in some neurodevelopmental conditions.

Most recently, in a Nature paper published April 24, Pasca and his colleagues demonstrated, in principle, the ability of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to correct the fundamental defects that lead to Timothy syndrome by nudging calcium-channel production toward another form of the gene that does not carry the disease-causing mutation. Using ASOs to guide production of the functional rather than defective form of this channel reversed the defect’s detrimental downstream effects: Interneuronal migration proceeded similarly to that procedure in healthy brains, and the altered electrical properties of the calcium channel reverted to normalcy. This therapeutic correction was demonstrated in a lab dish — and, critically, in rat-transplantation experiments, suggesting that this therapeutic approach can work in a living organism.

Pasca is now actively searching the globe for carriers of the genetic defect, in preparation for the pursuit of a clinical trial at Stanford Medicine to test the safety and therapeutic potential of ASOs in mitigating the pathological features of Timothy syndrome.

“We are also actively engaged in conversations with other scientists, clinicians in the field and ethicists about the best way to move forward and safely bring this therapeutic approach into the clinic,” he said.

Pasca added that the calcium channel that is mutated in Timothy syndrome is, in fact, “the hub” of several neuropsychiatric diseases including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. So it may be that the lessons learned — and the therapies derived — from his 15-year focus on a rare disease may have broad application in a number of widespread and troubling psychiatric conditions.

‘Amazing’ teenager

Today, in defiance of his doctors’ warning that he might not live past age 2, Holden Hulet is 15 years old and doing well.

“I think a lot of times, autism is perceived as ‘They’re not neurotypical and they’re not capable of certain things.’ But he is brilliant,” JJ said. “He’s amazing with techie stuff or Legos. He’s funny and super honest and very self-aware.”

Kelby often takes Holden to visit the farm where he grew up. Holden loves to ride the farm equipment and enjoys hanging out with the animals, especially the farm dogs and calves. Like a lot of kids, he keeps an eye out for good rocks, Kelby said with a chuckle.

“He’s always either throwing them or collecting them,” JJ said. “That’s something I really like about him: He’s always got a pocket full of something.”

Although navigating a rare disease is one of the most challenging things they have faced, the Hulets see light in their situation, and would offer encouragement to any family facing a new Timothy syndrome diagnosis.

“There is hope,” JJ said. “There are people out there who care, people out there who fight for you who don’t even know you. I think that’s what is so important about research — that you’re fighting a battle for people you don’t even know.”

The study published April 24 was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (grants R01 MH115012 and K99 MH119319P), the Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute, the Autism Speaks Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Kwan Funds, the Senkut Funds, the Coates Foundation, the Ludwig Family Foundation, the Alfred E. Mann Foundation, and the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

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Orthopaedics Resident Left Soaring Examples in Her Life

Jessica “Jessi” Block, MD, was a beloved member of the Department of Orthopaedics’ residency program, who left an indelible mark on the department and all of her colleagues. 

Professional Society Renames Courage Award in Honor of the Late Jessica ‘Jessi’ Block, MD

By Dirk Hoffman

Published April 24, 2024

Courage is often defined as the ability to confront fear, pain or danger with strength, determination and bravery. It involves taking action in the face of adversity, even when one feels afraid or uncertain.

The late Jessica “Jessi” Block, MD, who died last November, exemplified the epitome of courageousness during her lengthy battle with an aggressive form of oral cancer.

Renaming of Award Pays the Ultimate Compliment

A trainee in the orthopaedic surgery residency program at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences , Jessi first noticed a sore on the right side of her tongue in August 2021, but initially attributed it to the stress of applying to fellowships.

But by early 2022, she was having a problem dictating in clinic at Oishei Children’s Hospital and realized for the first time her tongue was deviating to the side. A subsequent biopsy showed a 4 cm mass on her tongue was squamous cell carcinoma.

Over the next year-and-a-half, Jessi underwent several major surgeries and multiple treatments of chemotherapy and radiation, all while continuing her residency training when she was feeling well enough to do so.

Last year, she was awarded the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society’s (RJOS) annual Courage Award and was presented with the award via teleconference on Nov. 26, just four days before she died at the age of 37.

A contingent of members of the Department of Orthopaedics attended the RJOS annual meeting in February in San Francisco, where Jessi’s mother, Sherri Block, accepted the award on her behalf.

The society, whose mission is to promote the professional development of women in orthopaedics throughout all stages of their careers, also announced it has renamed the award as the “Dr. Jessica Block Courage Award” beginning with the 2025 recipient.

‘An Amazingly Selfless Person’

Leslie J. Bisson, MD , June A. and Eugene R. Mindell, MD, Professor and Chair of orthopaedics , says he was impressed with how much Jessi continued to focus on developing into an orthopaedic surgeon after receiving her cancer diagnosis.

“She wanted to keep learning and did not want to interrupt her residency training,” he says. “I told her multiple times that she was inspirational in the way that she was handling her illness. She was just an amazingly selfless person.”

Bisson says Jessi was “an outstanding resident, outstanding surgeon and teacher and made meaningful research contributions.”

“We talk about people at the faculty and attending level as what we would call a ‘triple threat’ —  a great clinician, great teacher and a great researcher,” Bisson adds. “But it is hard to find those people. Most of the time people are outstanding at one and good at another one and they do a little bit of the third one. But she was paying attention to it and excelling in all those things in her training.”

Due to Jessi’s illness during her chief residency year, her classmates and colleagues had to go about their daily routines without the full participation of one of their chief residents.

“We depend on our residents. They are an integral part of our clinical tier and part of the educational product that we deliver,” Bisson says. “It was just amazing that everyone just rose to the occasion. A lot of it speaks to the type of person she was. People wanted to step up and do everything they possibly could to help her.”

Had Earned Prestigious Fellowship

Jessi was focused on the subspecialty of arthroplasty and was “incredibly driven and tireless in her work ethic,” says Matthew J. Phillips, MD , clinical assistant professor of orthopaedics, who specializes in hip and knee arthroplasty, and is the director of the Jacobs School’s adult reconstructive surgery fellowship program .

“She was a self-starter in terms of her own education. Sometimes that is a difficult transition for people to make from being a lifetime student to actually directing your own education, which is what you do when you are a resident,” he says. “She was aggressive about learning. She was always prepared for cases.”

Phillips says Jessi took the same approach to everything in her life.

“She was very talented, technically. Some people don’t have as much talent, and they work at it, and they wind up being pretty good. With other people, it seems like it is effortless for them,” he says. “Jessi was a combination of both. She was very good to begin with, but she worked hard to be the best.”

Patients, their families, fellow residents, office staff and the staff on the hospital floors all loved Jessi, Phillips says.

“She had a great bedside manner and always made people feel like they could call her anytime,” he says.

Phillips notes that the orthopaedics specialty is very white male dominated and that Jessi was a great role model and mentor to the students behind her — not just women, but also underrepresented trainees.

Jessi matched to a very competitive and prestigious adult reconstruction arthroplasty fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. It was her first choice and its director, Robert Barrick, MD, is “one of the most recognizable names in arthroplasty in North America,” Phillips says.

“I talked to Dr. Barrick multiple times to let him know where Jessi was at in her treatments and he told me he would keep a spot open for her in the fellowship in perpetuity so that if and when she was well enough to come, she would have a spot. That speaks volumes about what they thought about Jessi.”

Role Model and a Passionate Mentor

Jessi was also an active mentor and was passionate about helping her fellow residents.

“Jessi was a phenomenal mentor. Even after she became too sick to operate, she still was available to us for mentorship advice, to teach, and to offer her insight,” says Ellen E. Lutnick, MD, a PGY-2 trainee in the orthopaedic surgery residency program.

“One memory that comes to mind was her teaching me a maneuver to reduce a difficult hip dislocation before I started my night float rotation — from her couch, while she was still in the midst of her medical treatments.”

“The word that comes to mind is grace ... she somehow managed a litany of setbacks, pain, disappointment, and life-altering circumstances with complete grace,” Lutnick says.

Alexander J. Macfarlane, MD, a PGY-5 orthopaedics resident, says “Jessi was a born leader. She was in a class of her own. I am thankful that she will be remembered and honored by a society that champions excellence in orthopaedics and elevates women in orthopaedics, because Jessi would have no doubt been leading the RJOS or another major society if things would have worked out differently.”

“When I joined the residency program, Jessi was the only other female in the program,” says Lauren M. Harte, MD, a PGY-3 orthopaedics resident. “She quickly became a role model, mentor and good friend of mine. She taught me many tips and tricks for reductions and pushed me to grow as a junior resident.”

“Aside from orthopaedic knowledge and techniques, Jessi was a great friend through the ups and downs of residency. I miss spending time with her in the residency room after a long day ... often looking through pictures of her dogs, Pepper and Sam. It is hard to put into words how special Jessi was.”

“Throughout her battle with cancer, we called Jessi our warrior. She was strong and resilient,” Harte says. “She always had a positive mindset, and you would never hear her complain. We all miss her very much. She will always be our warrior.”

Tammy Smith, training program administrator for orthopaedics residency and fellowship programs, says she grew close to Jessi early on in her residency.

“She was a very special person, and we shared the love of our dogs together. She adored her fur babies, just as I did mine,” she says. “Jessi worked tirelessly to help us recruit more women into our field of orthopaedics. She served as a mentor to female medical students and female residents, and took a lead role in our recruitment efforts.”

Lived Her Life With Perseverance and Grace

Jessi’s mother, Sherri Block, says Jessi was always serving others, so she feels becoming a doctor was a natural progression for her.

She mentored underclass women while she as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan and also participated in “alternative spring breaks.”

“Instead of going to Florida or somewhere warm and having a party, she went to underserved areas. She went twice to New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina. She went to inner-city Detroit,” Block says.

After graduating, she joined AmeriCorps and accepted an assignment called Operation Safety Net in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“That was a group that would go out at night and provide medical care to the homeless. They worked in the alleys and under the bridges,” Block says.

Jessi then went to work at an orthopaedics clinical practice in Arlington, Virginia, where her interest for the specialty really blossomed.

She later enrolled in a postbaccalaureate program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and after a year was offered a spot in its medical school class.

Block says Jessi was surprised when she matched into the orthopaedics surgery residency at UB because she had not done any of her away rotations there and did not have contacts in Buffalo.

“So, it was a surprise, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.”

Block says Jessi often referred to Buffalo as home.

“She called the four guys in her class ‘her smelly, little brothers.’ She truly loved the people she worked with.”

When asked why she felt Jessi pushed so hard to continue her training despite her illness, Block says “she just approached that as something to get done with so she could get on with her life.”

“She approached the cancer with perseverance and grace. That is how she lived,” she adds.

Block says she hopes when people think of Jessi they will remember “that she walked the walk.”

“Jessi loved to teach. She loved to share knowledge with others and encourage others in their life paths. She got excited when others succeeded. It wasn’t a competition with her. She was in competition with herself, but she liked to see everyone win.”

Do you have questions or comments for the Office of the Provost? Let us know your thoughts and we’ll be happy to get back to you.

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