Meet the 2026 Medical Faculty Association Best Research Award Winners
Graduate student researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are recognized for innovative work advancing immunotherapy, vision restoration, brain injury treatment and diabetes care.
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Medical Faculty Association (MFA) has named its 2026 student research award recipients.
The awards recognize outstanding research by graduate student scientists whose work addresses some of the most urgent challenges in medicine, from pediatric brain tumors and vision loss to traumatic brain injury and autoimmune disease.
This year’s awardees span a wide range of disciplines but share a common goal: translating fundamental discovery into research that could meaningfully improve patient outcomes.
Advancing Immunotherapy for Pediatric Brain Tumors
Christian Ramsoomair’s research focuses on diffuse midline glioma (DMG), a rare and devastating brain tumor that primarily affects children. DMG is difficult to treat because the tumor cells are highly resistant to therapy and largely able to avoid detection by the immune system.
Ramsoomair studies how tumor cells “hide” from immune attack. His work has identified a molecule called ADAR — an enzyme that edits RNA — as a key player in this process. In DMG, ADAR helps silence internal alarm signals that would normally alert the immune system to the presence of a tumor.
By reducing ADAR activity, Ramsoomair has shown that tumor cells become more visible to the immune system and more sensitive to immune‑based therapies. His research also points to a promising treatment strategy involving a vitamin A derivative that is already approved for use in children.
“I am drawn to research areas where clinical translation is both urgent and necessary,” Ramsoomair said. “Because pediatric brain tumor research remains underfunded at both the state and national levels, it is encouraging to see this work gaining recognition.”
Harnessing Regenerative Biology to Restore Vision
Dr. Moulin recently defended her thesis in molecular cell and developmental biology. Her research seeks to answer why the mammalian optic nerve fails to regenerate after injury, while certain species can fully restore vision.
Dr. Moulin developed a novel, laser‑based optic nerve injury model that allows for precise, reproducible injury and real‑time imaging of axonal regrowth. Her work has revealed how neurons survive, remodel and rewire during successful regeneration, while also identifying molecular pathways associated with recovery.
Building on this model, Dr. Moulin has investigated how calcium signaling dynamics influence optic nerve healing, comparing regenerative species with mammals that lack this ability. Her findings offer clues that could inform future strategies for treating optic nerve injuries in humans.
“Studying regenerative models like Xenopus laevis allows us to uncover natural mechanisms that mammals lack,” Moulin said. “I feel incredibly grateful and honored to have been selected by the Medical Faculty Association for this award. It motivates me to continue my research on this important line of work.”
Targeting Inflammation After Traumatic Brain Injury
Erika Cabrera Ranaldi’s work explores the link between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neurodegenerative disease, with a particular focus on inflammation and the protein complex that drives damaging immune responses after injury.
“It has been established that a history of TBI can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease development and complicate disease outcomes,” Ranaldi said. “Both conditions show dysregulated states of inflammation. The focus of my work is on the inflammatory response and how changes in inflammatory components such as the inflammasome contribute to the relationship between TBI and AD.”
Using preclinical models of TBI, her research has shown that knocking out Gasdermin D, a key inflammasome component, significantly reduces inflammation, extracellular vesicle‑mediated signaling and behavioral deficits after injury.
These findings point to Gasdermin D as a promising therapeutic target for mitigating secondary brain injury and improving long‑term outcomes.
“Having the opportunity to see how our research is driving further discoveries and potential treatments for patients is what most motivates me in the laboratory,” Ranaldi said. “Being able to talk to the people we are striving to help, to understand their needs and how we can improve their lives is what provides the greatest joy for me.”
Improving Outcomes in Islet Transplantation for Type 1 Diabetes
Chris Li’s research centers on improving pancreatic islet transplantation for patients with type 1 diabetes. While islet transplantation can eliminate the need for insulin injections, it typically requires lifelong immunosuppression, limiting its widespread use.
Li is developing localized immunomodulatory strategies that protect transplanted islets without suppressing the patient’s entire immune system. His work includes an implantable hydrogel that delivers antibody‑based drugs directly at the transplant site, as well as immunomodulatory stromal cells that may retrain the immune system to tolerate the graft.
“Patients with type 1 diabetes most commonly manage this condition with insulin injections,” Li said. “If we can reduce or eliminate the need for systemic immunosuppression, more patients could receive an islet transplant.”
For Li, the award reflects both scientific progress and personal motivation.
“Patients who have received an islet transplant report significant improvements in their quality of life,” he said. “That gives me a sense of purpose in working hard toward work worth doing.”
Together, this year’s MFA student award winners reflect the breadth and impact of trainee‑led research at the Miller School that advances scientific understanding and holds promise for transforming patient care in the years ahead.
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Tags: Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, cognitive decline, diabetes, glioma, immunotherapy, inflammasomes, islet cell transplantation, M.D./Ph.D. program, Medical Faculty Association, Medical Scientist Training Program, optic nerve regeneration, pediatric brain tumor, TBI, traumatic brain injury, type 1 diabetes