Medical Students Recognized for Standout Research Achievements
Students at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons were honored recently for their achievements in research at two annual events, Student Research Day and the MD/MS Research Symposium.
“Physicians are instrumental in making new medical discoveries and translating findings into improvements for patients,” said Anil Lalwani, associate dean for student research at VP&S and professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery. “Participation in research during medical school helps students develop the skills they’ll need to perform these roles as physicians, scientists, and educators.”
All medical students at VP&S are required to complete a scholarly project in basic and translational science, clinical research, global and population health, social and narrative medicine, or medical education. Many students conduct research during the summer and about 25% suspend their medical studies for a year to devote themselves to their investigations. Students also can earn a second research degree through the MD/MS in biomedical sciences and MD/PhD programs, as well as joint degree programs in bioethics, biomedical engineering, biomedical informatics, human nutrition, and narrative medicine.
MD/MS Research Symposium
In a symposium on March 27, fifteen members of the VP&S Class of 2026 in the MD/MS Program in Biomedical Sciences presented their master’s thesis research to faculty and students. The MD/MS Program in Biomedical Sciences offers students the opportunity to nurture a research interest and engage in a year of original research in a field relevant to medicine.
Graduating VP&S students in the MD-MS Program in Biomedical Sciences presented their research to faculty and students on March 27 during the annual MD-MS Research Symposium. From left to right: Jay Vyas, associate dean for academic innovation; Nathaniel Rolfe; Nicholas DeWalt; Gerardo Ramos-Lemos; Hannah Weinstein; Isadora Comens; Alysala Malik; Arin Stowman; Cole Khamnei; Varun Sudunagunta; Matthew Spence; Sara Suhl; Colby Joncas; Riley Sevensky; Andrés Pascual-Leone; Rachel Kutler; and Anil Lalwani, associate dean for student research. Photo by Sam Hollenshead for Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
VP&S Student Research Day
Each year the VP&S Student Research Day showcases medical student research from scholarly projects to doctoral dissertations. At the 2026 Student Research Day on April 1, sixty medical students presented their findings to fellow students, faculty, and leadership through posters and discussions. Several VP&S faculty members served as judges and selected 11 students for awards (see below for award winners).
Eleven students, pictured here with medical school leaders, won awards at VP&S Student Research Day on April 1. Top row, from left to right: Krithi Pachipala; Nivedita Ravi; Max Lauring; Monica Lypson, vice dean for education; Jay Vyas, associate dean for academic innovation; Anil Lalwani, associate dean for student research; Elizabeth Vann. Front row, from left to right: Sheril Varghese, Maxine Mackie, Nadine Khoury, Emily Fischbach, Shonik Ganjoo, Zachary Altshuler, and Joseph Barile. Photo by Eileen Barroso / Columbia University.
“The quality of research showcased by VP&S medical school students mirrors their excellence, alongside the remarkable scientific research led by our faculty and their dedication to mentoring,” Lalwani said.
The event also presented the Scholarly Projects Program Faculty Mentor of the Year to Nathalie Moise, associate professor of medicine. The award recognizes and celebrates exceptional mentors who have shaped the scholarly project experience.
Nathalie Moise (left) received the 2026 Scholarly Projects Program Faculty Mentor of the Year Award from Utpal Pajvani, director of the Scholarly Projects Program at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Photo by Eileen Barroso / Columbia University.
Student Research Day Award Recipients
MD/PhD
- First Place: Max Lauring, “Co-option of Retrotransposons Promotes Antibody Diversification” (mentor: Uttiya Basu)
Research Year
- First Place: Krithi Pachipala, “A Short Oral Methylprednisolone Taper Decreases Pain and Opioid Use After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial” (mentor: H. John Cooper)
- Second Place: Nadine Khoury, “A Multimodal Analysis of the Glioblastoma Margin Reveals Distinct Residual Disease Programs and Synergistic Therapeutic Vulnerability” (mentor: Peter Canoll)
- Third Place: Sheril Varghese, “Comparative Effectiveness of Treatment Strategies for Patients with MASH” (mentor: Chin Hur)
Scholarly Project
- First Place: Zachary Altshuler, “Mechanistic studies of 9p21.3, the risk locus underlying CAD and other aging-related diseases” (mentor: Kristin Baldwin)
- Second Place: Nivedita Ravi, “Breathing in Harmony: Music-Guided Breathwork for Patients with COPD” (mentor: Michael Shadlen)
- Third Place: Elizabeth Vann, “Beyond “Good Hands”: Objective Measures of Students’ Surgical Skills in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship” (mentor: Said S. Saab)
Summer Research
- First Place: Maxine Mackie, “Immunophenotypic characterization of aggressive basal cell carcinomas” (mentor: Arianna L. Kim)
- Second Place: Emily Fischbach, “Novel cellular immunotherapies for solid organ transplant recipients with cutaneous malignancies” (mentors: Ron Gejman and Benjamin Izar)
- Third Place: Joseph Barile, “Development of a Novel Risk Score for 1-year Mortality following Donation After Circulatory Death Heart Transplantation” (mentor: Koji Takeda)
- Third Place: Shonik Ganjoo, “Dual Priming and Activation Stimulation Paradigm Promotes IL-6 Secretion in Human Microglia” (mentors: Peter Canoll and Jeffrey Bruce)