Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars

In 2021, the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars Program was established at MSK to support the translational science initiatives of talented early-career physician-scientists across multiple specialties. Mr. Gerstner’s generosity and continued dedication to the education and training of future leaders in cancer care make this farsighted opportunity possible. Through this highly competitive program, top-tier physician-scientists will be provided with a level of support that is otherwise difficult to obtain this early in their careers. The scope of innovation and excellence achieved at MSK depends on the work of a diverse scientific and clinical community of investigators, including these promising physician-scientists.

 

2024 Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Physician Scholars

Duaa Al-Rawi, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Gynecologic Medical Oncology Service  
Mentors: Scott Lowe, PhD, and Sohrab Shah, PhD 
Project Title: Interrogating the mechanisms of chromosomal instability (CIN) induced oncogene activation in ovarian cancer development 

Andrew Cornish, MD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Genitourinary Oncology Service 
Mentors: Ming Li, PhD, and Dana Pe'er, PhD 
Project Title: Immunotherapeutic targeting of tissue-resident innate lymphocytes for renal cell carcinoma 

Michael Gormally, MD, PhD, MPhil 
Department: Medicine  
Current Position: Fellow, Hematology/Medical Oncology  
Mentor: Christopher Klebanoff, MD 
Project Title: Immunologic targeting of undruggable TP53 hotspot mutations though T cell receptor gene therapy 

Sandeep Raj, MD 
Department: Medicine  
Current Position: Instructor, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service  
Mentor: Roni Shouval, MD, PhD, Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD, and Miguel-Angel Perales, MD 
Project Title: Deciphering interactions between host and tumor in CAR T cell therapy 

GIV24_Web_GerstnerScholars (1).jpg
From left: Duaa Al-Rawi, MD, PhD, Michael Gormally, MD, PhD, MPhil, Andrew Cornish, MD, and Sandeep Raj, MD

 

2023 Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Physician Scholars

Kimon Argyropoulos, MD, PhD
Department: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Current Position: Assistant Attending Physician, Hematopathology Service
Mentors: Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD, and Ahmet Dogan, MD, PhD
Project Title: Characterization of neural and neuroepithelial niches and their role in the regeneration of the thymus after acute and chronic injury

Sarah Eskreis-Winkler, MD, PhD
Department: Radiology
Current Position: Assistant Attending Physician, Breast Imaging Service
Mentor: Sohrab Shah, PhD
Project Title: Understanding and eliminating bias in breast Imaging artificial intelligence algorithms: A key step toward equity in outcomes for patients with breast cancer in the 21st century

Karlo Perica, MD, PhD
Department: Medicine
Current Position: Assistant Attending Physician, Cellular Therapy Service
Laboratory Mentor: Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD
Project Title: Overcoming resistance to CAR T cells for multiple myeloma using novel synthetic receptor

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From left: Kimon Argyropoulos, MD, PhD, Sarah Eskreis-Winkler, MD, Phd, and Karlo Perica, MD, PhD

 

2022 Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.
Physician Scholars

Susan De Wolf, MD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Leukemia Service 
Mentor: Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Harnessing endogenous T cell immunity in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia 

Juan Osorio, MD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Gynecologic Medical Oncology Service  
Mentor: Jeffrey Ravetch, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Role of Fc receptors in the therapeutic activity of antibodies targeting the CD47-SIRP-alpha axis 

Samir Zaidi, MD, PhD  
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Genitourinary Oncology Service  
Mentor: Charles Sawyers, MD 
Project Title: Reversion of lineage plasticity and restoration of drug sensitivity in prostate cancer: role of Janus kinase (JAK) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 

Morgan Freret, MD, PhD 
Department: Radiation Oncology 
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology, University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center 
Mentor: Adrienne Boire, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Choroid plexus and the cancer stem cell niche in leptomeningeal metastasis 

2022
From left: Susan De Wolf, MD, Juan Osorio, MD, Samir Zaidi, MD, PhD, and Morgan Freret, MD, PhD