Newswise — July 19, 2023 (Rolling Meadows, Ill.) – The Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation (NREF) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the NREF Medical Student Summer Research Fellowships.

The foundation awarded fourteen medical student fellowships this year.

“The NREF is delighted to recognize the promise and potential of these outstanding medical students as they embark on research careers and finding a cure for neurosurgical conditions,” says NREF chair, Adam S. Arthur, MD, MPH, FAANS.

The Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship (MSSRF) program offers fellowships in the amount of $2,500 to medical students in the United States, Canada or Mexico who have completed one or more years of medical school and wish to spend a summer working in a neurosurgical laboratory, mentored by a neurosurgical investigator sponsor who is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).

Annually, these fellowships go to the brightest and most dedicated students whose research projects are aimed at the better understanding, treatment and prevention of neurological disorders and improved patient care.  

The following individuals have been awarded a 2023 NREF Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship:

  • Daniel Alber, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
  • Maria Bederson, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
  • Michael M. Covell, Georgetown University School of Medicine
  • Adeline Fecker, Oregon Health and Science University
  • Han Gil "Hans" Jeong, University of Minnesota Medical School
  • Smruti Kedarnath Mahapatra, Tulane University School of Medicine
  • Logan Muzyka, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin
  • Elsa Nico, Barrow Neurological Institute
  • Edwin Owolo, Duke University School of Medicine
  • Ruchit Patel, Harvard Medical School
  • Sangami Pugazenthi, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
  • Karl L. Sangwon, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
  • Gabriel Trevino Verastegui, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
  • Eunice Yang, Columbia University

The application for the 2024 NREF Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship will open September 1, 2023, through the NREF Online Grant Portal.

For information about NREF grant and fellowship programs, please contact NREF at (847) 378-0500 or [email protected].

###

About the NREF The Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation (NREF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization created in 1980 by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) to support research and education efforts that enhance and confirm the critical role neurosurgeons play in improving lives.

The NREF is dedicated to providing education to neurosurgeons at all stages of their careers, as well as funding research into new and existing neurosurgical treatments, in order to identify links between best practices and improved outcomes in patient care. Through voluntary public donations, corporate support, and donations from allied groups, the NREF supports endeavors that impact the lives of those suffering from epilepsy, stroke, brain tumors, spinal disorders, sports-related head injuries, lower back pain and Parkinson’s disease.

For more information about NREF, please visit www.nref.org.