2023

Ariel is a first-year medical student who graduated from Stony Brook University with a major in Biology, a double minor in Chemistry and Sociology, and departmental honors after completing his thesis on the influence of glyphosate and intestinal bowel disease. Ariel has long been interested in Cancer biology since his first year in college. He spent two summers abroad in the labs of Tel Aviv University studying the effects of MicroRNAs on melanoma invasion vs. proliferation and the effects of endocannabinoid agonist treatment of hematological cancers, respectively. Ariel's hobbies include cooking diverse cultural dishes and outdoor running. 

Leah is a current DO/Ph.D. student who graduated from Dickinson College with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. There she worked in an organic chemistry lab identifying novel targets for inhibiting proteins essential to the survival of kinetoplast parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases. She went on to work at the National Institutes of Health, where she was involved primarily in assay design and optimization. This gave her the opportunity to work on a wide array of projects, including investigating anti-tumor response through macrophage inactivation, designing a novel target identification strategy for drug discovery, screening for novel glucocorticoids that avoid off-target effects, and identifying analogs of an established molecule that reduces metastasis. Leah’s hobbies include reading, traveling, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Benjamin is a first-year medical student at NYITCOM and wants to specialize in orthopedic surgery.  He graduated from NYIT with a BS/pre-DO with a major in Biomedical Sciences.  Benjamin has a review article published on the use of nanomedicine in strokes. He has never done cancer research. However, he is excited to be a part of developing new treatments and therapies for cancers. During his free time, Benjamin likes to power lift, cook, and spend time with his dog, Ricky.