Meet the 2025 Medical Faculty Association Best Research Award Winners
The Miller School’s Medical Faculty Association recently awarded four grants to Ph.D. students through the organization’s Best Research Award Honors.
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Medical Faculty Association recently awarded four grants to Ph.D. students through the organization’s Best Research Award Honors.
“We are proud to introduce this year’s outstanding cohort of researchers, whose dedication and innovative projects embody the very essence of these awards,” said Ana Fiallos, director of career services for the Office of Graduate Studies. “Each year, we have the privilege of reviewing remarkable work from young researchers and witnessing firsthand how their scholarly contributions lay the groundwork for medical breakthroughs that transform patient care. While only four winners are recognized, the Miller School is home to a vast community of student researchers ready to make a lasting impact.”
Cancer Genetics
Alex Sanchez-Covarrubias, M.D., Ph.D., traces his passion for science back to high school. His dedication has taken him from medical school in Peru to the Miller School’s Ph.D. in Cancer Biology program. Most recently, he won the Medical Faculty Association’s top Best Research Award honor, with a $3,000 grant.
In the lab, Dr. Sanchez-Covarrubias studies breast and gynecological cancer genetics. His research links African ancestry to aggressive endometrial cancer and shows that Caribbean women are being diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages due to early menarche and having fewer children. Dr. Sanchez-Covarrubias will continue his work as a Pfizer postdoctoral fellow, using computational tools for data analysis to uncover new treatments.
“Thanks to the Miller School, I discovered and nurtured my curiosity for cancer research,” Dr. Sanchez-Covarrubias said. “Receiving this award is an honor because it highlights our work’s direct impact on the cancer patient community. I am grateful to the Miller School for helping me connect with scientists and physicians, further strengthening my passion for cancer biology.”
Understanding mRNA’s Role in Gene Expression
As a graduate of the Miller School’s Medical Scientist Training Program, J. Conor Moran, M.D., Ph.D., pursued a Ph.D. in molecular biology and centered his research on how mRNA, the messenger that translates DNA code into functional proteins, folds inside mitochondria. His interest in the topic stemmed from how mRNA’s structure informs cell function. His work garnered him second place and a $2,000 award.
“Many people see mRNA as just this static messenger, but like everything inside the cell, it has a three-dimensional shape,” Dr. Moran said. “We wanted to understand how this shape affected gene expression and discovered mitochondria use a mechanism traditionally associated with viruses to express at least one of their genes, which is interesting given the selective pressures on both viruses and mitochondria are similar.”
Dr. Moran matched into a residency in clinical pathology at Stanford Health Care, where he was also selected for the physician-scientist incubator track.
Neural Pathways of Itch and Anxiety
Darya Pavlenko, Ph.D., recently defended her Ph.D. thesis in human genetics and genomics and studies the neural pathways of itch and anxiety.
“Itch is a relatively new field, but about one in five people will experience chronic itch within their lifetime, with limited treatment options,” Dr. Pavlenko said. “While understanding the pathways in the skin is important, it is also crucial to learn about the neural pathways to better understand how to treat chronic itch.”
As Dr. Pavlenko conducted her research, she found a pathway of itch-responsive neurons that project from the parabrachial nucleus to the part of the brain that process emotions. Additionally, she identified a subset of neurons in this pathway that express neuropeptide y receptor type 2 involved in itch. Dr. Pavlenko will use the $1,000 grant to continue her work on itch-related projects in wound healing and other areas of the brain.
Making Strides in Cancer-induced Alopecia
The intersection of molecular biology and clinical medicine has always fascinated Simonetta Gaumond. Already equipped with a Master’s degree in dermatological sciences and skin biology from the University of Miami, Gaumond developed a passion for research on skin-related disorders and oncology, which yielded this year’s fourth-place honor and a $500 award.
Gaumond’s work centers on chemotherapy-induced alopecia, a distressing, unresolved side effect of cancer treatment. Through her research, Gaumond investigates how chemotherapy agents contribute to hair follicle damage and explores ways to better understand, prevent or manage this side effect. Her research also investigates the timing of efficacious protective measures, exploring if they should be implemented before chemotherapy starts, during treatment or in recovery.
“The Miller School’s strong research environment and translational focus made it the perfect place for me to explore those interests by pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology,” Gaumond said. “Research can often feel like a long and meticulous process, but receiving this recognition reinforces the importance of my work and its potential impact, particularly for patients undergoing chemotherapy.”
Tags: cancer biology, genomics, M.D./Ph.D. program, Medical Faculty Association, Medical Scientist Training Program