Anna Qian, MD, has been selected to receive the Yale International Physician-Scientist Resident and Fellow Research Award from the Yale School of Medicine Office of Physician-Scientist and Scientist Development (OPSSD).
Qian is currently a resident physician at Yale New Haven Hospital, where she has worked in the general internal medicine and specialty wards. Originally from Canada, Qian had to look for other sources of funding to be able to begin a medical fellowship in the U.S.
According to the OPSSD, the Yale International Physician-Scientist Award funds up to two years of salary to support post-doctoral research training during or directly following residency or fellowship. The award is designed for research-oriented residents or fellows who are not eligible for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Training Grant funding due to citizenship requirements.
“One of our top priorities is to increase the pool of physician scientists at Yale. This program was designed to enable international candidates who would be ineligible for T32 awards to pursue postdoctoral training,” said Keith Choate, MD, PhD, associate dean for physician-scientist development at OPSSD.
Qian was nominated by faculty members Ursula Brewster, MD, professor (nephrology) and Stefan Somlo, MD, C. N. H. Long Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and professor of genetics. Her application was reviewed by the award committee, and she was notified of her selection in late 2022. “As an international trainee, the award makes the whole research fellowship process possible,” expressed Qian.
From her residency experience, Qian knew she wanted to pursue a program with allocated research time, as she hopes to become a clinician researcher in the future. “Nephrology is an interesting and emerging field, and I think there's a lot left to do. It's not as saturated as some of the other specialties, so there's a lot of room for excited people to join either clinically or in a research track,” said Qian. Her mentors—Dennis Moledina, MD, PhD, FASN; Lloyd Cantley, MD; Madhav Menon, MD; and Sherry Mansour, MD, MS—and a community of international residents at Yale have encouraged Qian to pursue research alongside her clinical training, “My mentors in residency helped me envision a career path in research and realize that it is something that’s achievable as an international trainee,” she added.
Qian’s research interests lie in resource allocation and risk management of organs for organ transplant, with special interest in kidney transplant. As she concludes her third year of residency, Qian looks forward to starting the Nephrology Fellowship Program’s research track in July 2023.
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