R38 DAP StARRNext-Generation StARRFostering Diversity in HIV Research

About Us

Massachusetts General Hospital was awarded an R25 grant through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Fall 2019. Residents started the inaugural year of the MGH Next-Gen PSTP program in July 2020. The program is led by Program Director Jay Vyas, MD, PhD (Medicine) in tandem with Program Manager Rebecca Ward, PhD (Medicine) and an Internal Steering Committee including Ruanne Barnabas, MBChB, DPhil (Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases), Amy Barczak, MD (Medicine), Marcia Goldberg, MD (Medicine), and Joren Madsen, MD, DPhil (Surgery).

The Mass General Next-Gen PSTP’s mission is to train residents to be physician-scientists who can advance medical science in infectious diseases and immunology from basic science to clinical investigation. The program brings together the Departments of Medicine and Surgery to provide a research mechanism for up to 3 interested residents per year.

Follow us on Twitter: @MGHResScholar

Research Opportunities

Mass General has been at the forefront of medical and scientific innovation. The research budget at Mass General exceeded $1B in 2019, making Mass General home to the largest hospital-based research program in the United States. While this alone affords one a wide array of options, a key feature of the Mass General Next-Gen PSTP program enables those who have not previously had expansive research opportunities previously or would like to learn new techniques/enter a different field to have protected research time. This NIH-funded program will provide protected time for individuals interested in pursuing medical research who may not have had an opportunity to gain necessary skills in the past or are moving into a new area of research. Infectious diseases and immunology continue to be areas of pivotal importance in health care research. This program focuses primarily in 4 research areas: [1] Viral Pathogenesis, [2] Host-Pathogen Interactions, [3] Decision Science/Cost Effectiveness and [4] Transplant Immunology. Participants may elect to conduct research in one lab or rotate through 2-3 labs to learn about different scientific questions in infectious diseases and immunology.

MGH Next-Gen PSTP Structure
Mass General Next-Gen PSTP Structure

Mass General Next-Gen PSTP is designed to attract, train and retain physicians in biomedical investigation at one of the most critical juncture of their career—residency training. To accomplish this, we provide the opportunity to devote 12 months to research during residency to provide the necessary mentorship and professional development critical to succeed as a physician-scientist.

Mentorship

Residents are expected to put 90% effort towards closely mentored, independent research projects in an NIAID-funded lab, with 10% effort towards ambulatory clinic for internal medicine residents. At the beginning of the program, each participant will develop an individual development plan for their time in the program and beyond. Residents will meet weekly with their faculty mentor to discuss their research progress and professional development. In addition, Dr. Vyas and the Internal Steering Committee will meet twice annually with each resident.

Curriculum

Residents can tailor the program to develop research skills and professional development skills. All participants are required to complete Mass General Brigham Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) curriculum and at least one course in biostatistics, grant writing and scientific communication each. Participants will have the opportunity to take courses offered through the Harvard Catalyst, Mass General Office of Research Career Development and Harvard Medical School. Participation in scientific meetings is highly encouraged at the institutional level (e.g. Joint Harvard-Wide Infectious Disease Research Seminar series or Mass General Annual Resident-Research Day) and international level.

Resident scholars will participate in monthly meetings that will cover career development topics and provide a platform to present their research. Topics may include mentoring, advocating for your career, science communication (grants and manuscripts), leadership skills, team science, and conducting research as an MD.

Financial Support

Participants will receive a stipend according to the Mass General Brigham PGY scale for the research year. Additionally, selected residents will have $10,000 to use towards supplies, courses and travel expenses. The program will start on July 1st and last a year, with the option to re-apply for a second year.

Our Residents

The Departments of Medicine and Surgery's Next-Gen PSTP at Massachusetts General Hospital recruit residents from both departments to dedicate a year to research.

Participating Residents 2024-2025

Ghida EL Banna, MD

Ghida EL Banna, MD (Department of Medicine)

Project title: Outcomes of Early Dermatology Consultation for Inpatients with Wounds due to Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Mentor: Steven Chen, MD (MGH)
Education: BA, Smith College (2017); MPP, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2018); MD, Stanford School of Medicine (2023)
Clinical and Research Interests: complex medical dermatology, inpatient dermatology consults, wound healing, inflammatory skin conditions, skin cancer/cancer prevention, skin of color in dermatology, community health, public policy, global health
Future Plans: Dermatology residency training at the Oregon Health and Science University in 2025

Selena Li, MD

Selena Li, MD (Department of Surgery)

Project title: Biochemical Profiling of Blood from Machine-Perfused Donor Hearts and Lungs
Mentor: Seyed Alireza Rabi, MD (Cardiac Surgery at MGH)
Education: BA, Harvard College (2011); MD, Harvard Medical School/MIT (2020)
Clinical and Research Interests: Cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, molecular biomarkers, global health and refugee aid
Future Plans: Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship

Alexander Zhu, MD

Alexander Zhu, MD (Department of Surgery)

Project title: Utilizing Machine Learning Algorithms and Omics Data for Detection of Postoperative Outcomes After Cardiothoracic Surgery
Mentor: Chi-Fu Jeffrey Yang, MD (MGH)
Education: BS in Biology, Duke University (2017); MD, Duke University (2021); Residency, UCSD
Clinical and Research Interests: Thoracic surgery, improving outcomes in thoracic surgery, lung cancer, lung cancer screening
Future Plans: Thoracic Surgery Fellowship



Alumni

David Cron, MD, MS

David C. Cron, MD, MS (Department of Surgery; 2023-2024)

Project title: Improving Equity in Access to Liver and Kidney Transplantation
Mentor: Heidi Yeh, MD (MGH); Joel Adler, MD, MPH (UT Austin) Education: BS, MD, and MS University of Michigan
Clinical and Research Interests: Clinically, I am pursuing a career in abdominal transplant surgery. I conduct health services and policy-oriented research. I am interested in improving access to kidney and liver transplantation, optimizing the use of deceased-donor organs for transplant, and studying the ability of the US organ allocation policies to achieve these aims.
Future Plans: Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship
Current Position: Clinical Surgery Resident

 

Samantha Landino, MD

Samantha Landino, MD (Department of Surgery; 2022-2024)

Project title: New Approaches Inducing Lung Allograft Tolerance
Mentor: Joren Madsen, MD, DPhil (Transplant Surgery at MGH)
Education: BS in Neuroscience, Bates College (2013), MD, Harvard Medical School (2019)
Clinical and Research Interests: Cardiothoracic transplantation, mechanisms of immune tolerance, congenital cardiac surgery
Future Plans: Cardiovascular Surgery Fellowship
Current Position: Clinical Surgery Resident

Adaeze Ezeofor, MD

Adaeze Ezeofor, MD (Department of Medicine; 2022-2023)

Project title: Clinical measures of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation
Mentor: Daniela Kroshinsky, MD, MPH (Dermatology at MGH)
Education: BS, Georgetown University (2015); MD, Howard University College of Medicine (2021)
Clinical and Research Interests: Skin of color, cosmetic dermatology, scarring alopecia
Current Position: Dermatology Resident, Hofstra University


 

Gregory Fricker, MD

Gregory Fricker, MD (Department of Medicine; 2022-2023)

Project title: Effect of Hepatitis C Treatment on Liver Disease Progression and Liver Disease Related Morbidity
Mentor: Raymond Chung, MD (Gastroenterology at MGH)
Education: BS from Emory University; MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Clinical and Research Interests: Hepatitis C; Hepatology; Substance Use Disorders; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Complex and Transitional Care
Current Position: Med-Peds Resident, MGH

 

 

Claire de CrescenzoClaire de Crescenzo, MD (Department of Surgery; 2021-2022)

Project title: Prevention and Eradication of Graft Infection and Ischemic Wounds in a Murine Model
Mentor: Laurence Rahme, PhD (Department of Surgery at MGH)
Education: BS in Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles (2011); MD, University of California, Davis (2016)
Clinical and Research Interests: Vascular surgery, quality and safety in surgery, equity
Future Plans: Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Current Position: Surgical Resident

 

David LeeDavid J. Lee, MD, MPH, MMSc (Department of Medicine; 2021-2022)

Project title: Understanding the Immunological, Genomic, and Epidemiological Links Between Race, Obesity, and Multiple Myeloma and its Precursor States
Mentor: Irene Ghobrial, MD (Medical Oncology at DFCI/HMS)
Education: BA, University of California, Berkeley (2010); MD, Harvard Medical School (2019); MPH, Harvard Medical School (2017); MMSc, Harvard Medical School (2019
Clinical and Research Interests: Hematologic malignancies, molecular biomarkers, cancer prevention, and global health
Future Plans: Hematology/Oncology Fellowship
Current Position: Internal Medicine Resident, MGH

Cynthia Miller, MDCynthia Miller, MD (Department of Surgery; 2020-2022)

Project title: Induction of Long-Term Heart and Lung Allograft Tolerance in Non-Human Primates
Mentor: Joren Madsen, MD, DPhil (Transplant Surgery at Mass General)
Education: BS in Biology, Boston College (2010); MD, Harvard Medical School (2017)
Clinical and Research Interests: Mechanisms of immune tolerance, cardiothoracic transplantation, thoracic oncology
Future Plans: Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship
Current Position: Surgical Resident, MGH



Rachel Wolfson, MD, PhDRachel Wolfson, MD, PhD (Department of Medicine; 2020-2021)

Project title: Defining the Sensory Innervation of the Gastrointestinal Tract
Mentor: David Ginty, PhD (Department of Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School)
Education: BS, Stanford University (2011); PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2017); MD, Harvard Medical School (2019)
Clinical and Research Interests: GI, sensation, neuroscience
Current Position: GI Fellow at MGH

Taylor Coe, MDTaylor Coe, MD (Department of Surgery, 2020-2021)

Project title: Liver Xenotransplantation Using Genetically Modified Pigs
Mentor: James Markmann, MD, PhD (Department of Transplant Surgery at Mass General)
Education: BS in Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego (2011); MD, University of California, San Diego (2016)
Clinical and Research Interests: Organ Transplantation
Current Position: Abdominal transplant and hepatopancreatobiliary surgery fellow, University of Toronto

Accomplishments of MGH Next-Gen StARR Recipients

Annual Newsletter — July 2022 Issue
Annual Newsletter — July 2023 Issue
Annual Newsletter — July 2024 Issue

Publications
  1. Aggarwal S, Singh V, Chakraborty A, Cha S, Dimitriou A, de Crescenzo C, Izikson O, Yu L, Plebani R, Tzika AA, Rahme LG. Skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction mediated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum-sensing transcription factor MvfR: reversing effects with anti-MvfR and mitochondrial-targeted compounds. mBio. 2024; 11:e0129224. PMID: 38860823.
  2. Mazur RD, Cron DC, Goldberg DS, Yeh H, Dageforde LA. Racial-ethnic differences in liver transplant waitlist outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma before and after recent changes to allocation policy. Clin Transplant. 2024;38(6):e15365. PMID: 38804605.
  3. Fricker GP, Ghany MG, Mera J, Pinsky BA, Ward JW, Chung RT. Tools needed to support same-day diagnosis and treatment of current hepatitis C virus infection. J Infect Dis. 2024;229(Supplement_3):S362-S369. PMID: 37739799.
  4. Li SS, Michel E, Osho AA, Pierson III RN, D’Alessandro D, Rabi SA. Transcontinental heart transplant using SherpaPak cold static storage system. J Heart Lung Transplant Open. 2024; 4: 100062. doi: 10.1016/j.jhlto.2024.100062.
  5. Lee DJ, El-Khoury H, Tramontano AC, Alberge JB, Perry J, Davis MI, Horowitz E, Redd R, Sakrikar D, Barnidge D, Perkins MC, Harding S, Mucci L, Rebbeck TR, Ghobrial IM, Marinac CR. Mass spectrometry-detected MGUS is associated with obesity and other novel modifiable risk factors in a high-risk population. Blood Adv. 2024;8(7):1737-1746. PMID: 38212245.
  6. Adler JT, Kuk AE, Cron DC, Parast L, Husain SA. Insurance transitions from employer-based insurance to Medicare and waitlisting for kidney transplantation: placing Marietta v. DaVita in context. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2024;35(4):495-498. PMID: 38221653.
  7. Husain SA, Khanna S, Yu M, Adler JT, Cron DC, King KL, Schold JD, Mohan S. Cold ischemia time and delayed graft function in kidney transplantation: a paired kidney analysis. Transplantation. 2024 Apr 1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38557641.
  8. Lee DJ, O'Donnell EK, Raje N, Panaroni C, Redd R, Ligibel J, Sears DD, Nadeem O, Ghobrial IM, Marinac CR. Design and Rationale of Prolonged Nightly Fasting for Multiple Myeloma Prevention (PROFAST): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2024;13:e51368. PMID: 38466984.
  9. Mazur RD, Cron DC, Chang DC, Yeh H, Dageforde LAD. Impact of median MELD at transplant minus 3 national policy on quality of transplanted livers for patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma. Transplantation. 2024;108(1):204-214. PMID: 37189232.
  10. Emmons BR, Adler JT, Sandoval PR, King KL, Yu M, Cron DC, Mohan S, Ratner LE, Husain SA. Association between donor kidney cysts and donor and recipient outcomes after living donor kidney transplantation. Clin Transplant. 2024;38(1):e15242. PMID: 38289895.
  11. Li SS, Funamoto M, Osho AA, Rabi SA, Paneitz D, Singh R, Michel E, Lewis GD, D'Alessandro DA. Acute rejection in donation after circulatory death (DCD) heart transplants. J Heart Lung Transplant. 2024;43(1):148-157. PMID: 37717931.
  12. Wolfson RL, Abdelaziz A, Rankin G, Kushner S, Qi L, Mazor O, Choi S, Sharma N, Ginty DD. DRG afferents that mediate physiologic and pathologic mechanosensation from the distal colon. Cell. 2023;186(16):3368-3385.e18. PMID: 37541195.
  13. Cowan A, Ferrari F, Freeman SS, Redd R, El-Khoury H, Perry J, Patel V, Kaur P, Barr H, Lee DJ, Lightbody E, Downey K, Argyelan D, Theodorakakou F, Fotiou D, Liacos CI, Kanellias N, Chavda SJ, Ainley L, Sandecká V, Pospíšilová L, Minarik J, Jungova A, Radocha J, Spicka I, Nadeem O, Yong K, Hájek R, Kastritis E, Marinac CR, Dimopoulos MA, Get G, Trippa L, Ghobrial IM. Personalised progression prediction in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance or smouldering multiple myeloma (PANGEA): a retrospective, multicohort study. Lancet Haematol. 2023 Mar;10(3):e203-e212. PMID: 36858677.
  14. Shah UA, Whiting K, Devlin S, Ershler R, Kanapuru B, Lee DJ, Tahri S, Gwise T, Rustad EH, Mailankody S, Lesokhin AM, Kazandjian D, Maura F, Auclair D, Birmann BM, Usmani SZ, Gormley N, Marinac CR, Landgren O. Extreme body mass index and survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. Blood Cancer J. 2023 Jan 12;13(1):13. PMID: 36631444. 
  15. Miller CL, Madsen JC. Targeting IL-6 to prevent cardiac allograft rejection. Am J Transplant. 2022 Dec;22 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):12-17. PMID: 36453706.
  16. Miller CL, O JM, Allan JS, Madsen JC. Novel approaches for long-term lung transplant survival. Front Immunol. 2022 Jul 27;13:931251. PMID: 35967365.
  17. Raigani S, Santiago J, Ohman A, Heaney M, Baptista S, Coe TM, de Vries RJ, Rosales I, Shih A, Markmann JF, Gruppuso P, Uygun K, Sanders J, Yeh H. Pan-caspase inhibition during normothermic machine perfusion of discarded livers mitigates ex situ innate immune responses. Front Immunol. 2022 Jul 26;13:940094. PMID: 35958587.
  18. El-Khoury H, Lee DJ, Alberge JB, Redd R, Cea-Curry CJ, Perry J, Barr H, Murphy C, Sakrikar D, Barnidge D, Bustoros M, Leblebjian H, Cowan A, Davis MI, Amstutz J, Boehner CJ, Lightbody ED, Sklavenitis-Pistofidis R, Perkins MC, Harding S, Mo CC, Kapoor P, Mikhael J, Borrello IM, Fonseca R, Weiss ST, Karlson E, Trippa L, Rebbeck TR, Getz G, Marinac CR, Ghobrial IM. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies and clinical outcomes in a high-risk US population screened by mass spectrometry: a multicentre cohort study. Lancet Haematol. 2022 May; 9(5):e340-e349. PMID: 35344689.
  19. de Crescenzo C, Chen YW, Adler J, Zorigtbaatar A, Kirwan C, Maurer LR, Chang DC, Yeh H. Increasing frequency of interpreting services is associated with shorter peri-operative length of stay. J Surg Res. 2022 Feb; 270:178-186. PMID: 34688989.
  20. Matheson R, Deng K, Huai G, Lee KM, Feeney N, Coe TM, Cloonan D, Serifis N, Fu Q, Robson SC, Markmann JF, LeGuern C. Interleukin-27 in liver xenotransplantation: A rational target to mitigate ischemia reperfusion injury and increase xenograft survival. Transplant Rev (Orlando). 2022 Jan;36(1):100674. PMID: 34861509.
  21. Patel PM, Connolly MR, Coe TM, Calhoun A, Pollok F, Markmann JF, Burdorf L, Azimzadeh A, Madsen JC, Pierson RN 3rd. Minimizing ischemia reperfusion injury in xenotransplantation. Front Immunol. 2021 Sep 9; 12:681504. PMID: 34566955.
  22. Ma D, Hirose T, Lassiter G, Sasaki H, Rosales I, Coe TM, Rickert CG, Matheson R, Colvin RB, Qin W, Kan Y, Layer JV, Paragas VB, Stiede K, Hall KC, Youd ME, Queiroz LM, Westlin WF, Curtis M, Yang L, Markmann JF, Kawai T. Kidney transplantation from triple-knockout pigs expressing multiple human proteins in cynomolgus macaques. Am J Transplant. 2022 Jan; 22(1):46-57. PMID: 34331749.
  23. Haque O, Raigani S, Rosales I, Carroll C, Coe TM, Baptista S, Yeh H, Uygun K, Delmonico FL, Markmann JF. Thrombolytic therapy during ex-vivo normothermic machine perfusion of human livers reduces peribiliary vascular plexus injury. Front Surg. 2021 Jun 17; 8:644859. PMID: 34222314.
  24. Miller CL, Madsen JC. IL-6 directed therapy in transplantation. Curr Transplant Rep. 2021 Jun 3:1-14. PMID: 34099967.
  25. Yuan Q, Haque O, Coe TM, Markmann JF. The heterogeneous effect of COVID-19 on liver transplantation activity and waitlist mortality in the United States. Front Surg. 2021 May 18; 8:669129. PMID: 34095209.
  26. Serifis N, Matheson R, Cloonan D, Rickert CG, Markmann JF, Coe TM. Machine perfusion of the liver: a review of clinical trials. Front Surg. 2021, 8:625394. PMID: 33842530.
  27. Coe TM, Tanaka M, Bethea ED, D’Alessandro DA, Kimura S, Yeh H, Markmann JF. Liver transplantation with suprahepatic caval anastomosis including inferior vena cava stent. Transplant Rep. 2020; 5(4):100062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpr.2020.100062
  28. Coe TM, Markmann JF, Rickert CG. Current status of porcine islet xenotransplantation. Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2020 Oct; 25(5):449-456. PMID: 32773503.
  29. Choi S, Hachisuka J, Brett MA, Magee AR, Omori Y, Iqbal NU, Zhang D, DeLisle MM, Wolfson RL, Bai L, Santiago C, Gong S, Goulding M, Heintz N, Koerber HR, Ross SE, Ginty DD. Parallel ascending spinal pathways for affective touch and pain. Nature. 2020 Nov;587(7833):258-263. PMID: 33116307.
Selected Presentations
  1. Landino SM, Nawalaniec JT, O J, Dehandi A, Hays N, Muoio J, Winter C, Hanekamp I, Madsen J, Allan JS. IL-6 Blockade Promotes Tolerance of Heart but Not Lung Allografts in Non-Human Primate Simultaneous Organ and Bone Marrow Transplantation Protocols. Oral presentation at the American Transplant Congress, June 2024, Philadelphia, PA.
  2. Landino SM, Nawalaniec JT, O J, Dehandi A, Hays N, Muoio J, Winter C, Hanekamp I, Madsen J, Allan JS. Comparing Delayed versus Simultaneous Bone Marrow Transplantation to Achieve Lung Allograft Tolerance in Non-Human Primates. Oral Presentation at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, 44th Annual Meeting, April 2024. Prague, Czech Republic.
  3. Li SS. Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD) Lung Transplant Outcomes in the United States. Oral Presentation at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, 44th Annual Meeting, April 2024. Prague, Czech Republic.
    Dr. Li with presentation
  4. Cron DC, Mazur R, Kennefick K, Adler J, Ladin K, Yeh H. Facilitators and barriers to the use of non-ideal deceased donor livers for transplantation. Oral Presentation at the Controversies in Transplantation – Young Investigators Forum. February 2024. Vail, CO.

    Dr. Cron with presentation
    *Received second place award for best presentation
  5. Lee DJ. Prevalence of Monoclonal Gammopathies Detected by Mass Spectrometry and their Risk Factors among Black Africans in South Africa. Oral Presentation at the InterLymph Annual Meeting, June 2023.
  6. Ezeofor A, Zhou L, Ying-Chih L, Blumenthal KG, Kroshinsky D. Clinical Manifestations of Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) Syndrome in Pediatric Patients. Poster Presentation at the International Societies for Investigative Dermatology, May 2023.Dr. Ezeofor with presentation
  7. Miller C, O J, Dehnadi A, Landino S, Nawalaniec J, Muldoon D, Muoio J, Hanekamp I, Allan J, Benichou G, Madsen J. First Successful Induction of Cardiac Allograft Tolerance Achieved by Combining Mixed Chimerism and IL-6 Signaling Blockade in Non-Human Primates. American Association for Thoracic Surgery; May 2023.Dr. Miller outside of conference
  8. Lee DJ, El-Khoury H, Alberge J, Sakrikar DJ, Barnidge D, Perkins MC, Harding S, Perry J, Davis MI, Amstutz J, Horowitz E, Rebbeck TR, Ghobrial IM, & Marinac CR. Obesity, metabolic comorbidities, and lifestyle factors and their association with monoclonal gammopathies in a high-risk screened population: results of the PROMISE U.S. nationwide screening study. Poster presentation at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting; April 2022.Dr. Lee with presentation
  9. Fricker. Hepatitis C treatment update: guidelines and call to arms. Internal Medicine Pediatrics Noon Conference, MGH; January 2023.

  10. Lee DJ. Prevalence of monoclonal gammopathies and their associated risk factors: results of a screening study by mass spectrometry in a high-risk U.S. population. Oral Presentation at InterLymph Annual Meeting, Virtual; June 2022.

  11. Miller CL, Ahrens KJ, O JM, Patel PM, Dehnadi A, Costa T, Momodu M, Morrissette JA, Muldoon D, Hanekamp IM, Allan JS, Benichou G, Madsen JC. Successful use of anti-IL-6R therapy to achieve cardiac allograft tolerance in non-human primates. Oral presentation at the American Transplant Congress; June 2022.

  12. Lee DJ, El-Khoury H, Alberge J, Sakrikar DJ, Barnidge D, Perkins MC, Harding S, Perry J, Davis MI, Amstutz J, Horowitz E, Rebbeck TR, Ghobrial IM, & Marinac CR. Obesity, metabolic comorbidities, and lifestyle factors and their association with monoclonal gammopathies in a high-risk screened population: results of the PROMISE U.S. nationwide screening study. Poster presentation at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA; April 2022.

  13. Miller CL, Ahrens KJ, O JM, Patel PM, Morrissette JA, Becerra D, Costa T, Dehnadi A, Hanekamp IM, Benichou G, Madsen JC. Effects of IL-2 and/ or anti-IL6R therapy on long-term cardiac allograft survival in non-human primates (NHPs). Poster presentation at American Transplant Congress; June 2021.

  14. Wolfson RL, Abdelaziz A, Qi L, Choi S, Ginty DD. CGRP-expressing peptidergic nociceptors innervate the colon and mediate responses to distension. MGH Resident Research Day; Boston, MA; May 2021.

  15. Coe TM. Virtual student-transplant patient interactions empower patients and enhance student transplantation knowledge. Oral presentation at the Association for Surgical Education Annual Meeting, Virtual; April 2021.

  16. Miller CL. Women in cardiothoracic surgery: dismantling the old boys’ club. Oral presentation at MGH Cardiothoracic Surgery Journal Club; March 2021.

  17. Coe TM. Survival of genetically modified pig livers during machine perfusion with human blood. Oral presentation at the 28th International Congress of The Transplantation Society, Virtual; September 2020.

Awards and Honors

  1. Cynthia Miller
    1. Nina Starr Braunwald Research Fellowship Award 2020-2022
    2. Translational Fellowship Research Grant 2022-2023
  2. David Lee
    1. NHLBI R38 MGH Next-Gen StARR resident scholar 2022-2023
    2. Scholar-in-Training Award, American Association for Cancer Research (2022)
    3. Hematology Opportunites for the Next Generation of Research Scientists (HONORS) 2023-2024
  3. Samantha Landino
    1. Marshall K. Barlett Surgical Research Fellowship 2022
    2. Thoracic Surgery Foundation Research Fellowship (2022-2024)
  4. Selena Li
    1. Nina Starr Braunwald Resident Research Award, Thoracic Surgery Foundation, 2023-2025
  5. David Cron
    1. American Journal of Transplantation Outstanding Article Award - “Increased volume of organ offers and decreased efficiency of kidney placement under circle-based kidney allocation” (2024)
    2. Poster of Distinction Award at the 2024 ASTS Winter Symposium

Application Process

Applications are due in early December. Selected residents will be notified by February 1st. Per NIH requirements, applicants must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident. Residents in the Department of Surgery are eligible to engage in this program after their clinical PGY3 year. Residents in the Department of Medicine are eligible for the program between their PGY1 and PGY2 years or PGY2 and PGY3 years. We will consider proposals from applicants who wish to do this at the end of their PGY3 year. No applications will be accepted in December 2024.

For more information, please see our FAQ below or contact Dr. Rebecca Ward via email.

Mass General Next-Gen PSTP Frequently Asked Questions

Who should consider this pathway?

The Mass General Next-Gen PSTP is designed for surgery and internal medicine residents who are interested in pursuing research during residency in infectious diseases and immunology.

What type of research can be supported?

The program spans the biomedical continuum to support residents pursuing basic science, pre-clinical research, pharmacokinetics, clinical or outcomes research.

I am interested in research, but do not know if I want to make it the focus of my future career. Is Mass General Next-Gen PSTP right for me?

One of the goals of this program is to provide the opportunity for residents interested in research to assess whether a career in academic medicine is right for them. Candidates should have interest to devote a full year to research-related activities.

What if I am interested in researching diseases outside of immunology and infectious disease?

This R25 program is funded through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID). Thus, Mass General Next-Gen PSTP residents must identify at least one research project during their research year relevant to their mission (e.g., infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases). It should be noted that this program is not restricted to residents planning on becoming infectious diseases or allergy and immunology subspecialists.

What is the time commitment?

The program allows for 12 months of dedicated research time, during which time you will still be considered a resident. Starting July 1st, resident scholars from the Department of Medicine will commit 90% effort towards their research project with the remaining 10% towards continuity clinic to preserve clinical skills. Surgical residents will commit 100% effort towards their research. This program extends the overall time in residency by one year.

Will my salary change during the program?

No, the R25 salary is based on the Mass General Brigham PGY scale.

How do I apply?

Look for a formal call for applications in October. Applications will be available through REDCap. The deadline for applications will be in early December.

I am a Mass General resident from another department. Can I apply to be a resident scholar through the Mass General Next-Gen PSTP program?

While residents from other departments may be considered, we will need to ensure the resident’s programs/departments can provide the required support.

I am interested in obtaining an MPH or other master’s degree relevant to medical research? Can I use this program to pursue this?

Per NIH guidelines, R25 funds cannot be used towards tuition for degree programs. However, R25 funds may be used to pursue structured training programs that provide a strong foundation to conduct research (e.g. courses in grant writing, methodologies, scientific communication, leadership workshops, etc.).

Am I eligible for extra shifts in the clinic?

Participating residents are still part of the residency program, and thus are eligible to work extra shifts if desired.

Who should I contact if I still have questions?

Please send any additional questions regarding the Mass General Next-Gen PSTP pathway to the Program Manager, Rebecca Ward, PhD.

Our Faculty and Staff

Jay VyasJay Vyas, Program Director




Rebecca WardRebecca Ward, Program Manager




We have 42 mentors who have agreed to participate in the Mass General Next-Gen PSTP program. Our mentors span the Mass General Departments of Medicine and Surgery, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and the Broad Institute. If there is a faculty research mentor with relevant research interests who is not listed, you may propose the individual to program leadership.

Internal Medicine Residency Program

For more than 75 years, our program has brought experience, commitment and a rigorous and balanced approach to the training.

Return to residency program