This summer, thanks to the heroic efforts of Program Directors Drs. Barbara Kazmierczak and Faye Rogers, and MD-PhD Program Pipeline Coordinator Christine Caminear, seventeen undergraduate students were able to come IN-PERSON for a 10-week intensive summer research program. Students conducted hands-on research in Yale labs, participated in career development and networking events, and presented their findings at the final research symposium which was held on August 5, 2021.
YALE BIOMED AMGEN SCHOLARS. The Amgen Scholars Program at Yale is a partnership between the Amgen Foundation and the Yale School of Medicine MD-PhD and Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD programs. The goal of the program is to recruit students from under-represented groups to biomedical careers and help them succeed as scientists or physican-scientists.
Samantha Eaton
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Hometown: San Antonio, TX
Research Mentor: Themis Kyriakides, PhD
Anna Martinez Guadalupe
University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras
Hometown: Toa Alta, Puerto Rico
Research Mentor: Mark Saltzman, PhD
Ikenna Nebo
Columbia University in the City of New York
Hometown: Valley Stream, NY
Research Mentor: Silvia Vilarinho, MD, PhD
Kofi Osei-Opare
Pomona College
Research Mentor: Megan King, PhD
Zoe Pearce
Brandeis University
Hometown: Bridgeport, CT
Research Mentor: William Cafferty, PhD
Sofia Piedrafita-Ortiz
University of California, Berkeley
Hometown: Encinitas, CA
Research Mentor: Jessica Cardin, PhD
Kyle Schaubroeck
University of Michigan
Hometown: Filer City, MI
Research Mentor: Rachel Perry, PhD, BS
Deandra Simpson
Fayetteville State University
Hometown: Fayetteville, NC
Research Mentor: Valetina Greco, PhD
Julian Starks
University of Richmond
Hometown: Evergreen Park, IL
Research Mentor: Carrie Lucas, PhD
Tristian Wiles
Hendrix College
Hometown: Ash Flat, AR
Research Mentor: Wendy Gilbert, PhD
YALE BIOMED SURF. The BioMed SURF program is dedicated to providing rising sophomores from diverse backgrounds with the resources and experiences to pursue careers in biomedical research. This Yale School of Medicine sponsored program was designed to address the limited availability of research-intensive training programs for students in the beginning of their undergraduate education.
Steven Abreu
University of Richmond
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Research Mentor: Daniel Colon-Ramos, PhD
Briana Arquilevich
Cornell University
Hometown: Agora Hills, CA
Research Mentor: Noah Palm, PhD
Nora Rodriquez
Texas Southern University
Hometown: Coppell, TX
Research Mentor: Don Nguyen, PhD, BS
BP-ENDURE HUNTER/NYU. The BP-ENDURE program is a Yale partnership with Hunter College and NYU to expose trainees to a research-intensive curriculum in order to prepare undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds to succeed in PhD programs in the neurosciences. These students are supported in part from the NIH Blueprint ENDURE (Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Experiences) program.
Amajindi Nwankpa
New York University
Research Mentor: Michael Higley, MD, PhD
Shamauri Rivera
Hunter College, City University of New York
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Research Mentor: Steve Chang, PhD
Karen San Agustin
New York University
Research Mentor: Elizabeth Jonas, MD
Student Coordinator: Paola Figueroa-Delgado, PhD student, Cell Biology
Peer Mentors:
Hannah Batchelor, MD-PhD student, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
Rebecca I. Colón-Ríos, PhD student, Microbiology
Daisy Duan, PhD student, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Justin Johnson, MD-PhD student, Immunobiology
Alyssa Mitson-Salazar, MD-PhD student, Immunobiology
Kevin R. Parducho, PhD student, Immunobiology