Dean’s Biomedical Sciences Scholar Awardees Named for 2025
Introduction
Each year, the University of Illinois College of Medicine recognizes exceptional research being conducted by graduate students working toward their PhD or MD/PhD degrees at the College of Medicine. This year, eight scholars have been named recipients of this award.
Mason Clark
Mentor: Lauren Palmer
Mason’s Research: I work in Lauren Palmer’s lab where we study the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii. It commonly infects people who are in the hospital and is incredibly difficult to treat because it is very drug resistant. Patients can be asymptomatically colonized in the gut by A. baumannii, and this increases their risk of infections such as bloodstream infections. My project specifically looks at carbon catabolism in A. baumannii and its role in competing with other microbes in the gut. With lots of competition for limited carbon sources, A. baumannii needs to coordinate its metabolism to be as efficient as possible. I study a protein called CsrA and the molecular mechanisms of how it helps A. baumannii manage its available carbon sources. Ultimately, we hope this will help lead to new ways to prevent A. baumannii bloodstream infections by treating gut colonization.
Adriana Duraki
Mentor: Larisa Nonn
Adriana’s Research: My research explores how vitamin D deficiency may contribute to racial disparities in prostate cancer. I study how vitamin D deficiency influences inflammatory signaling in the prostate stroma and cytotoxic T cells within the prostate microenvironment, using both animal models and patient samples. I am very passionate about cancer research and hope to continue exploring how lifestyle factors contribute to poor outcomes. I take a preventative approach to cancer by helping people understand what factors matter for them and how research findings can be applied in daily life.
Jeff Kim
Mentor: Yang Dai
Jeff’s Research: My research focuses on understanding how the liver responds to injury and orchestrates recovery in alcohol-associated liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Using single-nucleus multiomic profiling, I study how the sulfonated isoform of HMGB1, a protective protein, regulates cell-cell communication and gene regulatory networks during liver disease and recovery. In parallel, I am developing ST-GNN, a graph neural network framework for modeling spatial transcriptomics data over time, which enables us to track how cells reorganize and interact across disease stages. Together, these projects aim to reveal new therapeutic targets and computational tools for advancing liver disease research.
Paige Malmrose
Mentor: Don Vander Griend
Paige’s Research: My research focuses on evaluating the role of the transcription factor MEIS1 in prostate cancer. Our lab has identified MEIS1 as a prospective tumor suppressor, supported by clinical data indicating that MEIS1 expression is associated with improved survival and a reduced risk of metastasis. Specifically, I am investigating how MEIS1 influences androgen receptor signaling, a key oncogenic driver of the disease.
Victoria Marino
Mentor: Markus Wimmer
Victoria’s Research: I am an MD/PhD student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, completing my PhD research at Rush University. My research focuses on developing standardized in vitro tribological models of cartilage degeneration and applying quantitative MRI techniques to measure changes in cartilage structure and composition. This work aims to establish reproducible preclinical platforms for studying degenerative joint conditions such as osteoarthritis.
Hamed Massoumi
Mentor: Elmira Jalilian
Hamed’s Research: My path began in materials engineering, but my passion for improving human health guided me toward biomedical research. I earned two master’s degrees in tissue engineering and biological engineering from the University of Tehran and the University of Georgia. Today, my work focuses on developing extracellular-vesicle-based therapies to promote corneal nerve regeneration, with the goal of offering new hope to patients living with vision impairments, chronic pain, and limited treatment options. I feel proud that this research contributes to advancing cell-free regenerative therapies, while also humbled knowing how much more there is to discover and achieve.
Sara Osorio Valencia
Mentor: Jose Cordoba-Chacon
Sara’s Research: I am currently a PhD candidate in Dr. Jose Cordoba-Chacon’s lab in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism. Our lab uses mouse models to study the molecular mechanisms underlying fatty liver disease. Specifically, my doctoral research focuses on the role of hepatocyte phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase (PEMT) in regulating liver membrane composition and lipid metabolism during fatty liver disease. In humans, genetic variations and reduced expression of PEMT may disrupt hepatic phospholipid metabolism, accelerating disease progression. Through my work, I aim to uncover the importance of hepatocyte PEMT in maintaining liver health and to identify mechanisms that could be harnessed in future therapeutic strategies for fatty liver disease.
Anna Patterson
Mentor: Tory Eisenlohr-Moul
Anna’s Research: I am a fifth-year MD/PhD student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. For my dissertation work, I study how the menstrual cycle influences mood and behavioral outcomes. Specifically, I focuses on the ways in which hormonal fluctuations contribute to substance use behaviors.