VP&S Students Honored for Research Achievements
Columbia medical students received awards for research at campus events
Students at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons were honored recently for their achievements in research at two annual events, the MD-MS Research Symposium and Student Research Day.
On March 28, nine members of the VP&S Class of 2025 in the MD-MS Program in Biomedical Sciences presented their master’s thesis research in a symposium with faculty and students. The program provides students with a year to conduct original research in a field relevant to medicine and prepares them to be leaders in advancing medical research, practice, policy, and education.
Columbia medical students graduating from the MD-MS Program in Biomedical Sciences presented their research at a March 28th symposium. From left: Emily Gordon, Ritt Givens, Kavya Rajesh, Jinjie Ling, Paul Lewis, Anil Lalwani (associate dean for student research), Damian Teasley, Matan Malka, Wisdom Yevudza, and Hart Fogel. Not pictured: Lauren Tucker. Photo by April Renae for Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
View the full gallery here.
At the 2025 Student Research Day on April 2, 65 medical students presented their research to colleagues, fellow students, faculty, and leadership. Each student prepared a research poster explaining the methodologies, results, and inspiration for their topic.
“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,” said Anil Lalwani, associate dean for student research and professor of otolaryngology/head & neck surgery.
Ten students at the event won awards for research in four categories: MD/PhD, Research Year, Scholarly Project, and Summer Research (see details below).
Ten Columbia medical students, pictured here with medical school leaders, won awards at VP&S Student Research Day on April 2nd. From left: Chisom Enwere, Noah Chen, Nathaniel Rolfe, Varun Sudunagunta, Ritt Givens, Michelle Shui, Jay Vyas (associate dean for academic innovation), Monica Lypson (vice dean for education), Zachary Levin, Steven O. Marx (2025 Scholarly Projects Program Mentor of the Year), Matthew Warren, Anil Lalwani (associate dean for student research), Gift Owolabi, and Lauren Burgett. Photo by Cole Giordano for Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Student Research Day also honored VP&S physician-scientist Steven O. Marx, who was selected as this year's Scholarly Projects Program Faculty Mentor of the Year. The award recognizes and celebrates exceptional mentors who have shaped the scholarly project experience. Marx is the Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Cardiology (in Medicine) to Honor Dr. Le Roy E. Rabbani (in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and director of the cardiovascular fellowship program.
Steven O. Marx (right) received the 2025 Scholarly Projects Program Faculty Mentor of the Year award at Student Research Day. Marx is pictured with Utpal Pajvani, director of the Scholarly Projects Program. Photo by Cole Giordano for Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
VP&S Student Research Day Awardees
MD/PhD
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1st place: Noah Chen, “Building a Better Bug - creating glucose-avid bacteria for tumor colonization” (mentor: Nicholas Arpaia)
Scholarly Project
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1st place: Chisom Enwere, “A RADical Treatment for Arrhythmias” (mentor: Steven O. Marx)
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2nd place: Michelle Shui, “Optimizing Pelvic Exam Training: Insights from Medical Students at Columbia University” (mentor: Said Saab)
Research Year
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1st place: Varun Sudunagunta, “Stag2-cohesin dependent chromatin dynamism drives erythroid fate acquisition and execution” (mentor: Aaron D. Viny)
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2nd place: Ritt Givens, “Do teams of strangers create health care dangers? The effect of OR team consistency on operative times in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis” (mentors: Michael Vitale and Benjamin Roye)
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3rd place: Nathaniel Rolfe, “Convection Enhanced Delivery of Dexamethasone Suppresses Tumor-Associated Inflammation in Glioblastoma and Avoids Systemic Toxicities” (mentors: Jeffrey Bruce and Peter Canoll)
Summer Research
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1st place: Lauren Burgett, “Stepwise Differentiation of Engineered Human Meniscus Tissues in 3D-Printed Flexible Scaffolds” (mentors: Hun Jin Jeong and Chang Lee)
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2nd place: Zachary Levin, “Early Identification of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia and Cerebral Vasospasm after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Through A Novel Dynamical Systems Approach” (mentor: Soojin Park)
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3rd place (tie): Matthew Warren, “Dissecting the Functional Heterogeneity of Tissue-Resident Memory T cells in Human Tissues” (mentor: Peter Szabo)
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3rd place (tie): Gift Owolabi, “Simple Point System for Predicting Bloodless Aortic Aneurysm Repair” (mentor: Hiroo Takayama)