Bethesda, MD (April 25, 2023) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce the 71 recipients selected to receive research funding through its annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program. The program serves as a catalyst for discovery and career growth among the most promising researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology.
“This year’s recipients are determined to make an impact on digestive health care through their research,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, chair, AGA Research Foundation. “We are honored to support these talented individuals at a critical stage in their careers and research projects. We look forward to seeing their great accomplishments.”
Treatment options for digestive diseases begin with vigorous research. The AGA Research Foundation supports medical investigators as they advance our understanding of gastrointestinal and liver conditions. The AGA Research Awards Program is made possible thanks to generous donors and funders. Learn more about the AGA Research Foundation at foundation.gastro.org.
RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARDS
AGA RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARD
- Alexander Nguyen, MD, PhD, The Regent of the University of California, Los Angeles
- Jeffrey W. Patterson-Fortin, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ken Y. Hui, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
AGA-GASTRIC CANCER FOUNDATION BEN FEINSTEIN MEMORAL RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARD IN GASTRIC CANCER
- Martina Molgora, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
AGA-TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICALS RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARD IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
- Brooke R. Druliner, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
SPECIALTY AWARDS
AGA-CAROLINE CRAIG AUGUSTYN & DAMIAN AUGUSTYN AWARD IN DIGESTIVE CANCER
- Simon Schwörer, PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois
AGA-R. ROBERT & SALLY FUNDERBURG RESEARCH AWARD IN GASTRIC CANCER
- Bryson W. Katona, MD, PhD, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
AGA-BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB FELLOWSHIP-TO-FACULTY TRANSITION AWARD
Siyan Cao, MD, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Amit Ringel, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
PILOT AWARDS
AGA PILOT RESEARCH AWARD IN DIGESTIVE DISEASE HEALTH DISPARITIES
- Sharad Wadhwani, MD, MPH, University of California, San Francisco
AGA PILOT RESEARCH AWARD IN HEALTH DISPARITIES
- Enrique Soto Pérez de Celis, MD, PhD, MS, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán
AGA PILOT RESEARCH AWARD
- Diana L. Snyder, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Michael Li, MD, MPH, University of California, San Francisco
- Patricia Bloom, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Edward Barnes, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill
AGA-AMGEN PILOT RESEARCH AWARD IN DIGESTIVE DISEASE HEALTH DISPARITIES
- Laura Targownik, MD, MSHS, University of Toronto/Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARDS
AGA-AMAN ARMAAN AHMED FAMILY SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARD
- Gwyneth Garramone, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California
- Ella McLaren, University of California, San Diego
- Nathan Moy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
- Hussein Elfayoumy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- Isabelle Garcia-Fischer, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
- Lidia Appell, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
- Katherine Burkman, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Alexa Boylan, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia
AGA-DR. HARVEY YOUNG EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION’S YOUNG GUTS SCHOLAR PROGRAM
- Lucy Zhao, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge
- Andrew Tran, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Sohaib Hassan, Rutgers University – Verzi Lab, New Brunswick, New Jersey
- Varun Ponnusamy, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor
- Daniella Montalvo, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
- Sara Chough, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
ABSTRACT AWARDS
FELLOW ABSTRACT AWARDS
- David Flores Marin, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
- Jesse Platt, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Devika Gandhi, MD, Loma Linda University, California
- Amanda Krause, MD, University of California, San Diego
- Cynthia Tsay, MD, Mphil, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
- Suha Abushamma, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio
- Md Obaidul Islam, PhD, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Floria
- Sakteesh Gurunathan, MD, New York University School of Medicine, New York
- Aaron Yeoh, MD, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, California
- Yang Xiao, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Jacques Gonzales, PhD, MS, Michigan State University, East Lansing
- Kai Wang, MD, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Hoyeol Kim, PhD, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York
- Babajide Ojo, PhD, MS, Stanford University, California
AGA FELLOW ABSTRACT OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Stefania Tocci, PhD, MS, University of Massachusetts, Cambridge
STUDENT ABSTRACT AWARDS
- Pritha Chatterjee, MS, University of California, Riverside
- Ela Contreras Panta, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
- Mihir Shah, MD, MBBS, John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
- Yuhan Fu, DO, Metrohealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
- Raissa Nana Sede Mbakop, MD, Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, Athens, Georgia
- Eleazar Montalvan-Sanchez, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington
- Sarang Gupta, MD, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario
- Daniel Kim, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Hannah Hrncir, Emory University, Decatur, Georgia
- Zarwa Saqib, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
- Ying Zhu, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Lizeth Cifuentes, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania
- Sharvani Dhandibhotla, MBBS, MS, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Lauren Lynch, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
AGA STUDENT ABSTRACT OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Gabrielle Waclawik, MD, MPH, University of Wisconsin, Madison
AGA ABSTRACT AWARD FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH
- Soyoun Min, PhD, Lerner Research Institute (fellow), Cleveland, Ohio
- Xiaobei Zhang, PhD , David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (fellow)
- Matthew Zhao, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (student)
- Hannah Fiske, MD, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital (student), Providence
AGA-APFED ABSTRACT AWARD IN EOSINOPHILIC GI DISEASES
- Matthew Buendia, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center – Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee
- Alexandra L. Strauss, MD, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia
- Mira Yang, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
AGA-MOTI L. & KAMLA RUSTGI INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARD
- Aviv Pudipeddi, MBBS, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- Dianqin Sun, MBBS, Mmed, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
More information
Learn more about AGA Research Foundation.
Donate to the AGA Research Foundation.
View all AGA Research Foundation awards.
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Contact for media: Courtney Reed, [email protected], 301-272-0025
About the AGA Institute
The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to more than 16,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org
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About the AGA Research Foundation
The AGA Research Foundation is the cornerstone of AGA’s effort to expand digestive disease research funding. Since 1984, AGA, through its foundation, has provided more than $66 million in research grants to 1,233 scientists. The AGA Research Foundation serves as a bridge to the future of research in gastroenterology and hepatology by providing critical funding to advance the careers of talented researchers between the end of training and the establishment of credentials that earn National Institutes of Health grants. Learn more about the AGA Research Foundation or make a contribution at foundation.gastro.org.
