2020 Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Commencement and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Academic Convocation
Established in 2004 with a landmark gift from Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Vice Chair of the MSK Boards of Overseers and Managers, the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSK) admitted its first class in the summer of 2006. The school offers the next generation of biomedical scientists an intensive PhD program that trains them to investigate and attack cancer through the twin lenses of basic research and real-life clinical challenges.
GSK faculty are nationally recognized scientists working at the forefront of biomedical research, and the curriculum takes advantage of the unique integration of the basic science and clinical arms of Memorial Sloan Kettering. An intensive lab-work model, along with the opportunity to observe firsthand how research findings are applied, ensures that GSK graduates are well positioned to close the gap between basic and clinical research.
2020 Honorary Degree and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Biomedical Research
James P. Allison
James P. Allison, PhD, is Chair of the Department of Immunology, the Olga Keith Wiess Distinguished University Chair for Cancer Research, the Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and the Executive Director of the Immunotherapy Platform at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Allison will deliver this year’s commencement address.
Ivan Jose Cohen, PhD
Tumor Glycolysis Is a Mechanism of Immune Exclusion in Solid Tumors
Mentor: Ronald G. Blasberg, MD
Christopher Hulton, PhD
Direct Genome Editing of Patient-Derived Xenografts Using CRISPR-Cas9 Enables Rapid In Vivo Functional Genomics
Mentor: Charles Rudin, MD, PhD
Mark J. Jelcic, PhD
Uncovering ATP Interactors and Signaling Mechanisms in Inflammation and Wound Healing
Mentor: Philipp Niethammer, PhD
James Whiteside Keith, Jr. PhD
Impact of Gut-Dwelling, Antibiotic-Resistant Pathobionts on Mucosal Immune Activation and Antimicrobial Defenses
Mentor: Eric Pamer, MD
Nicholas Frederik Kuhn, PhD
Engineering Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells to Elicit an Endogenous Antitumor Immune Response
Mentor: Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD
Hannah Christina Wise, PhD
Characterization of Epigenetic Regulators in Urothelial Carcinoma
Mentor: David B. Solit, MD
Brittany Anne Woods, PhD
Determinants of Clonal Evolution in JAK2V617F-Driven Myeloid Malignancies
Mentor: Ross Levine, MD
Yuchen Xie, PhD
Genetic Loss-of-Function Studies of SETD2 in Tumorigenesis
Mentor: Emily Cheng, MD, PhD
Recognition of the Doctoral Dissertation Research
Sloan Kettering Division/Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
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Noelle V. Antao
Understanding the Impact of PP2A Misregulation on Mitosis after Whole-Genome Doubling
Thesis mentor: Prasad Jallepalli, MD, PhD -
Hanan Baker
Elucidating the Physical Principles Underlying Lipid Bilayer Perturbation by Hydrophobic and Amphiphilic Peptides
Thesis mentor: Daniel A. Heller, PhD -
Mridula Balakrishnan
Drosophila Cofilin: Its Roles in Sarcomerogenesis and Myopathy
Thesis mentor: Mary Baylies, PhD -
Ryan E. Blawski
An Investigation of KMT2 Family Methyltransferases: Novel Roles for Protein Lysine Methylation in Cancer
Thesis mentor: Minkui Luo, PhD -
Maria Elizabeth Bustillo
Tension-Sensitive Regulation of Adhesion during Epithelial Remodeling
Thesis mentor: Jennifer A. Zallen, PhD -
Shi Chen
Dynamic Conformational Landscapes and Transition States of Protein Methyltransferases
Thesis mentor: Minkui Luo, PhD -
Andrew Cho
Synthesis, Characterization, and Translation of [6-13C,15N3]-Arginine, a Hyperpolarized 13C Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Probe for in vivo Arginase Activity
Thesis mentor: Kayvan R. Keshari, PhD -
Hyunwoo Cho
Integrative Computational Analysis of Epigenetic Changes in Cellular Differentiation
Thesis mentor: Christina Leslie, PhD -
Angela Chui
Oxidative Stress Regulates Neocortical Progenitor Behavior and Neurogenesis Transition
Thesis mentor: Songhai Shi, PhD -
Ashley J. Chui
N-Terminal Degradation Is the Activation Mechanism of the NLRP1B and CARD8 Inflammasomes
Thesis mentor: Daniel Bachovchin, PhD -
Melissa D. Docampo
The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acid Signaling in Graft-Versus-Host Disease
Thesis mentor: Marcel R. M. van den Brink, MD, PhD -
Dylan J. Drakes
Optimization of T Cell Receptor–Modified T Cells for Cancer Therapy
Thesis mentor: Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD -
Sunyana Gadal
Role of ERK Dependent Feedback in BRAF V600E Melanoma Progression
Thesis mentor: Neal Rosen, MD, PhD -
Mayur Mahavir Gadiya
Mechanisms of Action of Noncanonical ESR1 Ligand Domain Mutations Identified in Breast Cancer
Thesis mentor: Sarat Chandarlapaty, MD, PhD -
Theodoros Giavridis
In Vivo Modeling of CAR T Cell–Induced Cytokine Release Syndrome and Discovery of Novel Therapeutic Interventions
Thesis mentor: Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD -
Sudha Ragavalli Guttikonda
Modeling Neuroinflammation Using hPSC-Derived Microglia in an in vitro Tri-Culture System
Thesis mentor: Lorenz Studer, MD -
Zachary S. Hann
Chemical Probes to Trap Ubiquitin Conjugation Cascade Intermediates
Thesis mentor: Christopher D. Lima, PhD
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Christopher Peter Horoszko
Under Stress from Oncogenic Ras:Secretory Phospholipase A2 Activity and Lipid Dysregulation
Thesis mentor: Daniel A. Heller, PhD -
Ming Jiang
Profiling Protein Methylation Events and Characterizing Their Roles in Hematopoiesis and Cancer
Thesis mentor: Minkui Luo, PhD -
Sohn G. Kim
Clearance of an Antibiotic-Resistant Intestinal Pathogen with a Lantibiotic-Producing, Colon-Resident Probiotic
Thesis mentor: Eric Pamer, MD -
Evangelia Loizou
In vivo Modeling of Myeloid Hematological Malignancies with Complex Karyotypes
Thesis mentor: Scott W. Lowe, PhD -
Lauren Tate Marek
Functional Proteomics and Pharmacologic Disassembly of Oncogenic Enhanceosomes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Thesis mentor: Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD -
Hilary T. Monaco
Spatiotemporal Understanding of Cooperation in Microbial Communities
Thesis mentor: Joao Xavier, PhD -
Xiaojing Mu
Chromosome-Autonomous Feedback Eliminates Meiotic DSB Competence upon Synaptonemal Complex Formation
Thesis mentor: Scott Keeney, PhD -
Pooja Naik
Patterned Cell Surface Receptors in Planar Polarity and Boundary Formation
Thesis mentor: Jennifer A. Zallen, PhD -
Edwin Charles Pratt
Multiplexed Imaging Using Nanoparticles and Rational Isotope Pairs
Thesis mentor: Jan Grimm, MD, PhD -
Andrea Rizzi
Improving Efficiency and Scalability of Free Energy Calculations through Automatic Protocol Optimization
Thesis mentor: John Chodera, PhD -
Ariën Sebastian Rustenberg
Quantifying Protonation State Effects in Protein-Ligand Interaction
Thesis mentor: John Chodera, PhD -
Germán Alberto Sabio
Regulation of Epithelial Polarity in the Drosophila Embryo
Thesis mentor: Jennifer A. Zallen, PhD -
Preethi Srinivasan
The Role of Germline Pathogenicity and Its Clinical Implications for Human Cancer
Thesis mentor: Michael F. Berger, PhD -
Chaya Stern
Improving Molecular Mechanics Force Fields via Capturing Non-Local, Quantum Effects and Quantifying Parametric Uncertainties
Thesis mentor: John Chodera, PhD -
Lexi Sun
An in vitro Single-Molecule Study of Polysome Formation Kinetics
Thesis mentor: Xiaohui Qu, PhD -
Dinali P. Wijewarnasuriya
Excessive Co-Stimulation Leads to Dysfunction of Adoptively Transferred T Cells
Thesis mentor: Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD -
Angela M. Yu
Computationally Reconstructing RNA Folding Pathways from Experimental Data
Thesis mentor: Christina Leslie, PhD
2020 Award Winners
Research Awards
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Dorris J. Hutchison Fellowship
- Recognizes outstanding research under the mentorship of an MSK faculty member
- Awarded to Laura Menocal
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Barbara and Stephen Friedman Fellowship Award
- Awarded to Deeksha Deep
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Bruce Charles Forbes Fellowship Award
- Awarded to Zhongmin Wang
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General Atlantic Graduate Research Fellowship
- Provides support for a promising graduate fellow to pursue their education and key research interests that integrate scientific priorities with important clinical needs
- Awarded to Inbal Caspi
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Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor Graduate Fellowship
- Awarded to Sahana Rao
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Marie-Josée Kravis Women in Science Endeavor Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Awarded to Linde Miles, PhD
- Awarded to Mohita Tagore, PhD
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Postdoctoral Research Awards
- Recognize outstanding accomplishments and promise by research fellows or research associates who have been at MSK for at least one year and have published a significant research paper as first author
- Awarded to N. Sumru Bayin, PhD (The Alexandra Joyner Lab)
- Awarded to Marcus Ruscetti, PhD (The Scott Lowe Lab)
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Tri-Institutional Breakout Prize for Junior Investigators
- Established by leaders from The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to recognize exceptional current postdoctoral trainees at each of the three institutions who have made significant research contributions
- Awarded to Manu Setty, PhD
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Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Basic Research
- Honors researchers at the Associate level or below who have demonstrated great promise and accomplishment in laboratory investigations
- Awarded to Andrea Schietinger, PhD
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Katharine Berkan Judd Award Lectureship
- Recognizes an individual who has made great advancements in the understanding of cancer through basic discovery
- Awarded to Ronald Vale, PhD
- Dr. Vale will give the Judd Lecture on June 1, as part of MSK’s Science Spotlight series.
Clinical Awards
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Louise and Allston Boyer Young Investigator Award for Clinical Research
- Honors physicians at the Associate level or below who have demonstrated great promise and accomplishment in clinical investigations
- Awarded to Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD
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Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence
- Honors a clinician whose talent, dedication, and compassion reflect the standards set by Willet F. Whitmore during his more than 46 years of service at Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Awarded to Carol Aghajanian, MD
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C. Chester Stock Award Lectureship
- Given annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of cancer therapy
- Awarded to Katherine A. High, MD
- Dr. High gave the Stock Lecture on May 20, as part of MSK’s Science Spotlight series.
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The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize
- Recognizes individuals who have made significant or groundbreaking contributions to pediatric oncology, highlighting the long-standing and future-facing partnerships between The Society and MSK and affirming the global leadership of MSK in the field of pediatric oncology
- Awarded to Carl H. June, MD
- Awarded to Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD