Meet the Eight Outstanding Recipients of CUNY’s Jonas E. Salk Award for Excellence in STEM Research

Seven Students are Headed to Medical Schools; One will Pursue a Ph.D. for a Future in Cancer Research

They Have Drawn Inspiration from Health Battles of Relatives, Social Issues and Their Own Volunteering Experience

Eight outstanding CUNY undergraduate STEM students have been selected to receive the university's prestigious Jonas E. Salk Award, an annual scholarship granted to those accepted into medical schools or graduate programs in the biomedical sciences.

The scholarship is named in honor of Jonas E. Salk, the City College alumnus renowned for developing the first polio vaccine in 1955. Salk turned down a ticker tape parade in honor of his discovery and asked that the money instead be used for these scholarships. Every year since his discovery, eight students have been selected on the basis of original research papers, produced under the guidance and mentorship of CUNY professors and other prominent scientists. Each awardee will receive $8,000 over four years to defray the tuition costs of their graduate studies or medical training.

The 2022 Jonas E. Salk Scholars hail from Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College and Queens College, The City College of New York and Baruch College. They were accepted into the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Weill Cornell/Rockefeller University/Memorial Sloan Kettering, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and SUNY Downstate Medical School. Their diverse backgrounds, experiences and interests - largely informed by a desire to make health care more equitable and responsive to the needs of people from underserved and marginalized groups - is reflective of CUNY's historical mandate and mission.

"CUNY's new Salk Scholars include seven future physicians and one future scientist, whose outstanding early expertise and current goals are aimed at changing the face of medicine for the better," saidChancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. "Our 2022 Salk Scholars were inspired by their education, by health challenges faced by family members and by the volunteer work they did. These diverse CUNY scholars embody courage and solution-based thinking. They exemplify CUNY, as did the work of our revered alumnus Jonas Salk, the child of immigrants, whose work remains as essential as this scholarship he bestowed on our university."

In congratulating the new scholars, Ian James, director of the Salk Scholarship Programsaid: "This is an amazing group of students. They are the future of what is one of the most important and complex professions of all time. I offer my most sincere congratulations. Their passion is strong and their futures are bright, as they move forward with much respect and appreciation for their chosen paths."

The Salk Scholars awards ceremony is scheduled for May 20 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Guest speakers will include Dr. Dara Kass, regional director for Region 2, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Arnold Melman, president of the Society of Salk Scholars and professor of urology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

2022 JONAS E. SALK SCHOLARS

Baruch College

Katsiaryna Milashevich
Will attend: Undecided
Research Paper: Mitochondrial Distribution of Glycine Receptors in Motor Neuron Cell Lines

After her brother was diagnosed with autism, she pursued much research leaning to a passion for medicine. She says that "after observing the devotion and compassion her brother's doctors had while determining the most effective treatment plan for him," she decided she wanted to know more about autism-related ophthalmology interventions and therapies. Katsiaryna has interest in several medical specialties including ophthalmology and hopes to consolidate her work to include what she has learned about autism and to be able individualize her approach to each patient she works with. Her interests include: identifying a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and glycine and research on the increased risk of visual impairment among children with autism. She has volunteered as a caretaker, is a Baruch College BioMed Society Member and received her Athena Net Certification working as a scribe for CityMD Urgent Care. She enjoys hiking, yoga, archery and visiting historical religious sites.

Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College

Eric Dayts
Will attend: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Research Paper: The Production and Characterization of Non-spherical Micro- and Nanoplastics

Motivated to pursue medicine and cancer research by his father's exposure to radiation from Chernobyl and subsequent treatment for a tumor in his leg, Eric plans to both become a physician and perform clinical trials. He would like to work in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and research hospitals to develop new medication and techniques - and make them available to patients while evaluating their effectiveness. He has also won a Macaulay Honors Scholarship and CUNY's Clifford E. Soll Award. He has a great interest in jump roping, cooking and baking, and creates his own recipes.

Cien Huang
Will attend: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Research Paper: Synthesis of a Novel Molecular Imaging Agent for Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) Kinase in Glioblastoma

Her interest in medicine began when she, herself, was ill. Then, her grandmother had cancer and struggled with an American healthcare system that too often did not understand diverse cultures - and she began thinking about a career in medicine. Cien became a clinical volunteer and learned "how cultural differences contribute to the complexity of tailoring personalized care." She says she also noticed that elderly patients might refuse meal assistance, concerned this would make them a burden on others. She is interested in translational cancer research, in which scientific findings can be analyzed to improve therapy. She is also interested in molecular imaging cancer research, in which she is able to combine her love for the visual arts with scientific inquiry to help develop personalized combined diagnostics and therapies for patients like her grandmother. In summing up, she says that a physician's work is about "providing holistic, patient-centered care, including utilizing different strategies and perspectives." Cien has received numerous awards and honors, including the Mayoral Services Recognition Program Award. In her spare time, she likes the arts and baking.

Priya Singh
Will attend: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Research Paper: Circulating Tumor Cells in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Known or Suspicious Leptomeningeal Metastases: Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker

Priya, who comes from a Sikh, Punjabi immigrant family, says that her religion's values of serving others selflessly, and her curiosity for the sciences, inspired her to pursue a career in medicine and adds that spirituality, empathy and hard work have served as the foundation for her path to medicine. Another essential piece of her identity is supporting her community; she has volunteered at hospitals, tutored low-income students and distributed food to the homeless. After realizing that epilepsy, neuro-infections and mental illnesses are often neglected and stigmatized in developing countries, she became determined to use her medical education to become an activist, professor and leader in the nascent field of global neurological health. She emphasizes that many communities in the developing world lack trained neurologists, proper medications, mental health facilities and community programs to tackle the stigma. Her ultimate goal is to spearhead health care equity efforts and support communities and countries with broken health care systems. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Horace W. Goldsmith Scholarship, the New York Community Bank Award for Excellence in Mathematics, and the Tottenville High School John "Jack" Powers Memorial Scholarship for outstanding student athletes. She enjoys playing volleyball, spending time with friends and family and watching nature documentaries in her free time.

Macaulay Honors College at Queens College

David Musheyev
Will attend: SUNY Downstate Medical School
Research Paper: Contributions of Lambda's Lysis Time Noise on Burst Size Noise at the Single-Cell Level

As a volunteer at a horse stable, he taught a cognitively disabled girl to be confident in new environments by structuring her responses to new stimuli. Although he was the instructor, he says that he was "the one who walked away with a valuable life lesson about perseverance." This inspired his research journey, which began in Queens College's Dennehy Lab, where he focused on understanding cellular noise dynamics. He currently works as a research coordinator at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he helps enroll patients in clinical trials. David's goals are to uncover immunotherapy treatment options for the one in six men who will develop prostate cancer in their lifetimes, and to make clinical trials more accessible to medically underserved populations. A Phi Beta Kappa member, he was also the president of the Biology Honors Society, the president of Future Healers of America, and a recipient of the Salman Hamdani Memorial Scholarship. He enjoys gardening, learning about different cultures, Broadway shows and visiting museums.

The City College of New York

Joseph Idoko
Will attend: NYU Long Island School of Medicine
Research Paper: flp-1 Disruption on the Behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans

After losing his father at a young age, he decided to focus his studies on concepts relating to using medicine to insure a better quality of life. He joined peer mentoring, tutor and advising programs geared toward supporting first-generation minority college students. From these experiences, Joseph learned about the disparities in health outcomes for Black patients - and the cultural barriers that may exist between some physicians and their patients. He says that "integrating more students of color into the medical professions" is crucial. He volunteered at the City College office of CSTEP, a statewide program to support underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students interested in the STEM disciplines. He also tutors and mentors students preparing for the Medical College Admission Test.

Leandro Pimentel Marcelino
Will attend: Weill Cornell/Rockefeller University/Memorial Sloan Kettering
Research Paper: Artificial Regulation of the Hypoxia Response: Binding Mechanism of Two Small Molecule ARNT-TACC3 Disruptors

He will be pursuing a tri-institutional Ph.D. Program in chemical biology. He says that "being a scientist is not just a profession, but a way of life" and hopes to head a pharmaceutical-based research group to develop novel cancer treatments. As a research student, Leandro participated in the NIH Bridges to the Baccalaureate Research Training Program as well as its Maximizing Access to Research Career Programs. He has co-authored three scientific manuscripts and attended national conferences. A Phi Theta Kappa Scholar, he enjoys playing basketball and chess and volunteers with NYC Cares to help people in need. He was a member of his college's Chess Club.

Kelly Veerasammy
Will attend: SUNY Downstate Medical School
Research Paper: MALDI MSI: Applications of Advanced Mass Spectrometry Imaging in Biomedical Research

The recovery of a close family member prompted her to dedicate herself to a career in medicine. As a first-generation Indo-Caribbean, she has witnessed hesitancy toward institutionalized health care within her community, and her goal is to help change that as a physician. She believes that diversity in the medical and research fields has the potential to foster a world of difference throughout historically neglected communities. She aims to utilize her scientific training to not only become a health advocate within her community, but also a mentor who can help pave an accessible path to STEM for upcoming generations. She has received honors in physics research and participated in the CUNY Summer Undergraduate Research Program. She is a peer mentor and tutor at her college, and vice president of its Bollywood Fusion Dance team. She also enjoys dancing hip hop, fitness and live theater.

The City University of New York is the nation's largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation's first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City's five boroughs, serving over 260,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY's mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University's graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city's economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city's workforce in every sector. CUNY's graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur "Genius" Grants. The University's historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.

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