Miller School’s Student Research Forum Earns National APSA Regional Status
The Eastern‑Atlantic Student Research Forum welcomed 250 trainees and national participation as it became the official South Regional Meeting of the American Physician‑Scientists Association.
What began more than five decades ago as a small forum for budding physician-scientists has evolved into one of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s most enduring academic traditions. The Eastern-Atlantic Student Research Forum (ESRF) was created to give medical, graduate and undergraduate trainees a formal platform to present original research, receive expert feedback and engage with peers entering careers in science and medicine.
At its core, the event functions as both a training ground and a pipeline. It’s a space where young investigators refine the skills required for competitive research careers while forming connections that often shape their trajectories.
This year, the forum’s purpose, and its expanding reach, were on full display as 250 student researchers gathered on the Miller School campus to showcase work spanning basic science, clinical research and public health, with more than 100 faculty members in attendance.
The 2026 symposium marked a pivotal moment for ESRF, which was formally designated the official South Regional Meeting of the American Physician-Scientists Association. The new status opened the doors to a national pool of physician-scientist trainees and signaled the forum’s growing importance within the broader biomedical training landscape.
From Campus Tradition to National Platform
The expansion reflects an ongoing effort by the Miller School to position the symposium as a national draw for physician-scientist trainees. Activity around the Schoninger Research Quadrangle remained brisk throughout the conference, with students and faculty engaging in discussions that organizers said often lead to longer-term collaborations.
This year’s program included structured advising panels tailored to undergraduate and graduate trainees. An undergraduate admissions session — led by Warren Kupin, M.D., professor in the Katz Family Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, George Munson, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology and Daniel Liebl, Ph.D., professor of neurological surgery — drew heavy interest from students pursuing medical and research-track degrees.
“It should become a yearly tradition,” Dr. Munson said.
A graduate research panel featuring Jose Jaller, M.D., assistant professor in the Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Janaki Neela Sharma, M.D., assistant professor of medical oncology and Whitney Hough, Ph.D., M.B.A., the Miller School’s technology transfer director, emphasized competitive positioning, research productivity and career flexibility.
Keynote speakers underscored the forum’s academic intent. David J. Calkins, Ph.D., vice president for research at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, urged trainees to embrace intellectual risk taking, invoking poet T.S. Eliot’s line, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” His talk stressed adaptability amid career turns.
National Participation Signals Growing Impact
Hilit Mechaber, M.D., senior associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of clinical medicine at the Miller School, described the event as “a tremendous success,” adding that it offers a competitive platform while spotlighting internal research. Organizers said the forum’s recent expansion reflects student-led coordination and the backing of the Medical Student Life and Engagement team, led by Tanyika Stephenson, with support from staff members including Ana Fiallos.
Co-president Antonio Fontanella, an M.D./Ph.D. student, said the event’s hallmark remains its cross-departmental cooperation. A second co-president, Akhila Sangadi, an M.D./M.P.H. candidate, called APSA’s regional designation “a pivotal milestone” in the forum’s growth. Senior executive symposium director Samantha McLaughlin, an M.D./Ph.D. student, emphasized the culture of “enthusiasm and curiosity” among presenters.
Students from 28 external institutions, from the Brown University and Columbia University to Vanderbilt University, Weill Cornell Medicine and Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, joined the symposium. Organizers say national representation is expected to expand further under APSA’s regional structure.
“It is a privilege to witness the incredible work of our next generation of biomedical researchers,” said Dr. Mechaber. “This conference is a wonderful opportunity for us to highlight the inspiring work led by our own students here at the Miller School, while enabling them to present their work at a competitive level. The student leadership team also demonstrated a superb ability to plan and execute a fantastic event.”
The Alving Award
The conference’s highest honor, the Dr. Carl and Barbara Alving Endowed Award, recognizes the most outstanding research achievement presented by a medical student. Established through a generous endowment from Dr. Carl R. Alving and Dr. Barbara M. Alving, the award reflects their longstanding commitment to advancing biomedical research and supporting the development of physician-scientists at the Miller School. Recipients receive a commemorative medal and a monetary prize intended to encourage continued pursuit of impactful medical research.
This year, the Alving Award was awarded as a tie to two exceptional presenters:
• Arnaldo Franco Torres: Pancreatic Cancers Rewire Metabolism to Preserve Metastatic Epigenetics
• Anna Hudson: Exploring the Immunosuppressive Role of Human Endogenous Retrovirus K in the Glioblastoma Microenvironment
Outstanding Oral Presentations
• First place: Gabriella Mezzich, University of Miami, Assessing Corneal Nerve Regeneration: In Vivo Imaging in a BAK-Induced Neurotrophic Keratopathy Model
• Second place: Ronit Dhulia, Columbia University, Immune-Mediated Mechanisms of Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Pancreas Tumor Rejection: Insights from a Novel Msi2-Myc Mouse Model
• Third place: Hyungyu Lee, Emory University, Development of NMDA Positive Allosteric Modulators for Neuropsychiatric Disease
• Honorable mentions:
Brandon Bessen, University of Miami, Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine–Driven Remodeling of the Retinal Microenvironment in Degeneration
James Choi, University of Miami, The Spatiotemporal Origins of Pro-Fibrotic Myofibroblasts in a Mouse Model of Arteriovenous Fistula
Outstanding Poster Presentations
• First place:
Athena Giannakouros, University of Miami, TORC2-Dependent Regulation of Orb6 by MAP Kinase Sty1 to Control Cell Polarity in Fission Yeast
Dilnoor Kaur Bawa, Michigan State University, Shifting Patterns and Ethnic Inequalities in Advanced-Stage Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A SEER-Based Analysis, 2011–2021
• Second place: Alex Reznik, University of Miami, Factors Associated with Early Termination of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Trials
• Third place: Simonetta Gaumond, University of Miami, Reduced Melanoma Risk in Alopecia Areata: Meta-Analytic Evidence for a Protective Immune Phenotype
• Honorable mentions:
Nadine Javier, University of Miami, The Role of Endonasal Eustachian Tube Obliteration in Lateral Skull Base Cerebrospinal Leak Repair
Jerry Fu, University of Miami, Dupilumab Dose-Tapering Maintains Histoclinical Remission in Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Janice Darkwah, University of Miami, Reclassification of HER2-Negative to HER2-Low in South Florida Sub-Ethnic Hispanic Women Demonstrates Potential for Expanded Eligibility to Novel HER2 Targeted Therapy
Undergraduate Research Competition
• Winner: Nyla Searl, University of Florida, Focused Ultrasound–Enhanced Delivery of RNA-Nanoparticle Immunotherapy in Glioblastoma
• Honorable Mention: Shemai’ya Peak, University of Pennsylvania, Investigating the Role of Homologous Recombinant Deficient RAD51C Variants in Response to DNA Alkylation Damage
Tags: Department of Medical Education, Dr. Carl and Barbara Alving Endowed Biomedical Research Award, Dr. Christine Dinh, Dr. Hilit Mechaber, ESRF, medical education, student research