Fourteen biomedical sciences students from across the School of Medicine Basic Sciences and the School of Medicine have been awarded the Provost Pathbreaking Discovery Award from the Graduate School.
The 2024 awardees are:
- Xiaoyu “Lily” Yu, Biochemistry
- Shengxin Tu, Biostatistics
- Paige Vega, Cell and Developmental Biology
- Amy Stark, Pharmacology
- Kara McNamara, Cancer Biology
- Mirazul Islam, Cell and Developmental Biology
- Azuah Gonzalez, Molecular Pathology and Immunology
- Cong Wang, Epidemiology
- Tara Mack, Human Genetics
- Monika Grabowska, Bioinformatics
- Zahra Farahbakhsh, Neuroscience
- Ryan Fansler, Microbe-Host Interactions
- Marianne Casilio, Hearing and Speech Sciences
- Darian Carroll, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
The $2,500 award recognizes doctoral students who exhibit exceptional academic excellence in publications, awards, patents, and other forms of national or international distinction.
All fourteen students were nominated by the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training, which provides support and resources for Vanderbilt biomedical science graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty who train graduate students and postdocs.
“The dedication and innovation of these fourteen award winners are exemplary, epitomizing the spirit of research we cultivate here,” said Walter Chazin, senior associate dean for BRET, Chancellor’s Professor of Medicine, and professor of biochemistry and chemistry. “Their work reflects academic excellence and signals a promising future of scholarly discovery.”