Congratulations to CARTI's 2026 Clinical and Translational Research Training Track Cohort!

On April 29^th, we celebrated the graduation of our 13 newest CARTI scholars who completed the 4-month Clinical and Translational Research Training Track, led by Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH, PhD. The scholars each gave a five-minute graduation “lightning” talk presentation on their proposed research, for which they have also prepared NIH grant applications that have gone through a rigorous mock NIH-study section review.

CARTI would like to begin by congratulating all of our scholars on their dedication and hard work, and we wish them continued success as they move forward with submitting the grant proposals they have so thoughtfully developed. We also want to acknowledge their mentors for the invaluable guidance and support they provide throughout this process.

• Timothy Chryssikos, MD, PhD, Neurosurgery
  Mentors: Charles Sansur, MD, FAANS, Gary Schwartzbauer, MD, PhD, and Bizhan Aarabi, MD
• Gijung Kwak, PhD, Neurosurgery
  Mentors: Jung Soo Suk, PhD, and Alexandros Poulopoulos, PhD
• Marcel Lanza, PhD, Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science
  Mentor: Odessa Addison, DPT, PhD
• Daiheon Lee, PhD, Neurosurgery
  Mentor: Jung Soo Suk, PhD
• Srini Muthukrishnan, MBBS, MS, MCh, FACS, Surgery
  Mentor: Raphael P.H. Meier, MD, PhD
• Robabeh Rahimi, PhD, Radiation Oncology:
  Mentor: Amit Sawant, PhD
• Sourav Saha, PhD, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Drug Development
  Mentor: Yilun Sun, PhD
• Karl Seif, MD, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences
  Mentor: E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA
• Xiaolei Shi, MD, PhD, Medicine
  Mentor: Arif Hussain, MD
• Aisha Souquette, PhD, Microbiology & Immunology
  Mentor: Lynda Coughlan, PhD
• Birjoo Vaishnav, PhD, Radiation Oncology
  Mentors: Amit Sawant, PhD, and Mark Mishra, MD

• Juan Xie, PhD, MS, Epidemiology & Public Health
  Mentors: Curtis Tatsuoka, PhD, and Elana Fertig, PhD

• Linying Zhu, PhD, Pharmacology & Physiology, and Drug Development
  Mentor: Yilun Sun, PhD

CARTI would also like to acknowledge the faculty who generously contributed their time and expertise as primary reviewers for our mock NIH study section. Their involvement provides invaluable support for faculty who are just beginning to establish their research programs. This opportunity would not be possible without the dedication and generosity of these volunteer reviewers:

• Maria Baer, MD
• Jonathan Bromberg, MD, PhD
• Clayton Brown, PhD
• Wei Chao, MD, PhD, FAHA
• Hancai Dan, MBBS, PhD
• Xiaofeng Jia, BM, PhD
• Rosangela Mezghanni, PhD
• Vincent Njar, PhD
• Lei Ren, PhD
• Marc Simard, MD, PhD
• Simeon Taylor, MD, PhD
• Kelly Westlake, PhD, MSc, PT
• Dean Wong, MD, PhD

We are excited to launch another round of our Clinical and Translational Research Training Track this fall! Applications are due Monday, October 5, 2026 by 5pm. Visit the FAQ webpage to learn more, and take advantage of the opportunity to chat with our recent graduates about their experiences.

View more photos from graduation.