Building Global Research Connections
Miller School alumnus and faculty member Dr. Niven Narain received the Caribbean Excellence award for biotechnology research and innovation.
Niven R. Narain, Ph.D. ’18, said his education at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine went beyond the classroom and the hospital. By being immersed in the Miami community, he learned to think about the possibilities of medicine in a different way.
Dr. Narain met patients from many backgrounds while earning his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology, with a special concentration on cancer biology and systems medicine, followed by a clinical fellowship in cutaneous oncology. His experience showed him the importance of including a wide range of populations in any medical study and considering not only racial and ethnic diversity, but also socioeconomic diversity.
“That lens offers you such a foray into the dynamics of diversity in health care access and health care outcomes, and it really made an impact on me,” Dr. Narain said. “But the impact also drove an awareness that we can do better.”
Dr. Narain’s commitment to improving health care for all populations motivated him to become a leader in biotechnology innovation. In recognition of his work, Dr. Narain, who is Guyanese American, received the Caribbean’s most prestigious award earlier this month.
The Anthony N. Sabga Awards for Caribbean Excellence named Dr. Narain a 2026 Science & Technology laureate “for his skill in building global research connections and facilitating research that could lead to precision medicine for Caribbean people.”
The Miller School’s Fluid Mentorship
Dr. Narain’s interest in medicine was sparked when his grandmother died of cancer when he was 13 years old. The experience inspired him to think about the realities that different people face when they need health care.
“That gave me the idea to think of ways to bring together technology, medicine and biology to serve society in a way that is much more geared towards the patient’s story, the family story,” he said.
At the Miller School, Dr. Narain found mentors who demonstrated leadership and perseverance, including his clinical mentor, Robert Kirsner, M.D. ’88, Ph.D. ’04, chair of the Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, and Sylvia Daunert, Ph.D., Lucille P. Markey Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and director at the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Biomedical Nanotechnology Institute (BioNIUM).
He said Dr. Kirsner, and others, have continued to guide him throughout his career.
“Mentorship is not static with the University of Miami,” he said. “It’s fluid, and that helps to carve you in the various chapters of your life.”
Innovations and Goals
Today, Dr. Narain is president and CEO of Boston-based BPGbio Inc. and has worked with partners including the U.S. Department of Defense, Harvard University, the University of Oxford and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is known for leading the development of an AI-powered biotechnology platform that has resulted in hundreds of patents around the world, as well as scientific publications and partnerships. He also invented a drug that is now in late-stage clinical trials to treat glioblastoma, aggressive solid tumors and childhood mitochondrial diseases. The early science for the drug was discovered in his Miller School research lab, he said.
Dr. Narain remains connected to the Miller School, where he is a voluntary assistant professor in the Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
His work also includes projects across the Caribbean. He’s currently collaborating with Sophia George, Ph.D., associate professor in the Miller School’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Miller School and a member of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, on developing models to understand cancer in the region. He has partnered with the Guyana Ministry of Health on several initiatives, including a pilot project to improve diabetes management using AI and app technology.
Dr. Narain said his goal as a researcher is to lift up all people, regardless of the social, financial and political nuances that divide them, by harnessing biotechnology to improve patient outcomes and develop drugs more effectively and efficiently.
Another of his goals is to “use AI responsibly and other technologies to help patients become more involved in their own biology and play a larger, more prominent role in the journey of care,” he said.
He said the Sabga Award shines a light on American and Caribbean innovation, and he was excited by the example he can set for future leaders and scientists in the Caribbean.
“As there’s economic growth and prolific growth in that region, it needs to be underpinned by great science,” he said.
Tags: alumni, biochemistry and molecular biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dr. Philip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, Dr. Robert Kirsner, Dr. Sophia George, Dr. Sylvia Daunert, mentoring