# MD/PhD Training Fellowship ## expand\_more The HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship is awarded to Harvard Medical School students who demonstrate strong interest in stem cell research. ## Feyisayo Eweje, PhD: 2025-2026 recipient ![Headshot of Feyisayo Eweje, PhD](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/2026-05/Eweji%2C%20Feisayo%20headshot_MD%20Phd_0.jpg) The first recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award for 2025-2026 is Feyisayo (Sayo) Eweje, PhD. Sayo is an MD candidate in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology MD/PhD program. He earned an S.B. in Engineering Sciences from Harvard College, where he received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Engineering Projects for his thesis research in cardiac tissue engineering in the lab of Dr. Kevin Kit Parker. He completed his PhD in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at MIT in the lab of Dr. Elliot Chaikof, where his research focused on engineering self-assembling protein nanoparticles for targeted intracellular delivery of nucleic acids and proteins, with applications to genetically defined diseases. ## Allison Zhang: 2025-2026 recipient ![Headshot of Allison Zhang](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/2026-05/Zhang%2C%20Allison%20Headshot_MD%20PhD%20Fellow.jpg) The second recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award for 2025-2026 is Allison Zhang. Allison is currently an MD/PhD candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Immunology PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. At Stanford University, when not working towards a BS in Biology or a spur-of-the-moment Minor in Archaeology, Allison spent the vast majority of her formative years in the lab of Dr. Irv Weissman, studying macrophage- mediated clearance of tumor cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells and hematopoietic stem cell aging. Since matriculating at Harvard, she has continued researching her favorite immune cell, the macrophage, in the lab of Dr. Ben Ebert. ## William Mannherz: 2024-2025 recipient ![Headshot of William Mannherz, 2024-2025 Fellowship Recipient](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/2026-05/Mannherz%2C%20Will%20Headshot.jpg) The first recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award for 2024-2025 is William Mannherz, PhD, who is currently an MD/PhD candidate at Harvard Medical School. Mannherz graduated *summa cum laude* in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He then worked as a research technician in the lab of Dr. Leonard Zon where he studied clonal hematopoiesis. For his PhD research, he studied the molecular biology of telomere length control in the lab of Dr. Suneet Agarwal and identified thymidine nucleotide metabolism as a key pathway influencing human telomere length. His work formed the scientific basis for a phase I clinical trial testing oral thymidine as an approach to lengthen telomeres and treat patients with inherited telomere biology disorders, which began enrolling patients in 2025. ## Michael Alexander Quezada: 2023-2024 recipient ![Headshot of Michael Quezada, 2023-2024 Fellowship Recipient](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/2026-05/Quezada%2C%20Michael%20headshot.jpg) The second recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award for 2023-2024 is is Michael Quezada, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Michael graduated with a degree in Bioengineering from Stanford University. There, he worked in Michelle Monje’s lab studying the epigenetic underpinnings of an aggressive pediatric brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). For his PhD, he works in the labs of Jason Buenrostro (HSCI/Harvard) and Anders Sejr Hansen (MIT). He is focused on developing scalable methods to study how transcription factors regulate the expression of genes. ## Liz Enyenihi: 2023-2024 recipient ![Headshot of Liz Enyenihi, 2023-2024 Fellowship Recipient](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/2026-05/E%2C%20Liz%20headshot_2026.jpg) The first recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award for 2023-2024 is Liz Enyenihi, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Enyenihi graduated summa cum laude in Chemistry (B.S.) from Emory University where she characterized disease-associated amino acid substitutions in an RNA processing protein in the lab of Professor Anita Corbett. She spent a year studying protein tyrosine phosphatases in the lab of Professor Anton Bennett at Yale School of Medicine before beginning MD/PhD training. Her PhD research investigates the contribution of inflammatory, clonally expanded immune cells to neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. ## Andres Binkercosen: 2022-2023 recipient ![Headshot of Andres Binkercosen, 2022-2023 Fellowship Recipient](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/2026-04/Binkercosen%20Headshot%20Resize_1.jpg) The twelfth recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is Andres Binkercosen, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Binkercosen graduated magna cum laude in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Harvard College. As an undergraduate, he worked in the lab of Professor Judy Lieberman, where he studied the effector proteins of cytotoxic lymphocytes. For this PhD research, he is studying the role of histone methylation in cell fate decisions in the lab of Professor Konrad Hochedlinger. ## Sara Ann Rubin: 2021-2022 recipient The eleventh recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is Sara Ann Rubin ## Chanthia C. Ma: 2020-2021 recipient ![Chanthia C. Ma](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hsci/files/ma_chanthia_dsc_3630_1.jpg?itok=SV4L7IR5) The tenth recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is Chanthia C. Ma, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Biological and Biomedical Sciences PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Ma graduated magna cum laude in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Yale. As an undergrad, she worked in the labs of Professor Hal Blumenfeld at Yale School of Medicine, where she studied the neural circuitry of epilepsy and consciousness through electrical and optogenetic stimulation, and Professor Thomas Rando at Stanford School of Medicine, where she studied the response and qualities of muscle stem cells in response to injury. For her PhD research, she plans on exploring various mechanisms of development and aging, with a special interest in the brain. ## Kaitavjeet Chowdhary: 2019-2020 recipient ![Kaitavjeet Chowdhary](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hsci/files/chowdhar_kaitavjeet_1.jpg?itok=by0bdbDv) The ninth recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is Kaitavjeet Chowdhary, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Immunology PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Chowdhary graduated magna cum laude in Chemical & Physical Biology from Harvard College. As an undergraduate, he worked in the lab of Professor Kevin Eggan, where he studied the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. Chowdhary is now pursuing his PhD under the guidance of Professors Christophe Benoist and Diane Mathis, where he is using a combination of computational and experimental approaches to understand mechanisms controlling immunologic tolerance. ## Shyam Akula: 2017–18 recipient ![Shyam Akula](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hsci/files/20180328_md-phd-fellow_shyam_akula_small.jpg?itok=jLCddItO) ## Sebastian Koochaki: 2016–17 recipient ![Sebastian Koochaki](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hsci/files/20180328_md-phd-fellow_sebastian_koochaki_small.jpg?itok=1WOTtwP9) ## Sarah Shareef: 2015–16 recipient ![mdphd.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hsci/files/mdphd.jpg?itok=Rdcgmfw-) The sixth recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is Sarah Shareef, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Systems Biology PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Shareef graduated in Engineering and Applied Sciences (SB) with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy and a masters in Biomedical Engineering (SM) from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Shareef is now pursuing her PhD under the guidance of Bradley Bernstein, MD PhD. Shareef’s work in the Bernstein lab is focused on using chromatin immunoprecipitation and single-cell RNA sequencing to understand epigenetic changes during cancer initiation. ## Adrian Veres: 2014–15 recipient ![adrian_veres.jpeg](/sites/g/files/omnuum10026/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hsci/files/adrian_veres.jpeg?itok=dnvlD2Qo) The fifth recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is Adrian Veres, currently an MD/PhD candidate at Harvard Medical School through the Systems Biology PhD and the Health Sciences and Technology MD programs. Veres graduated *summa cum laude* in Chemistry & Physics from Harvard College. As an undergraduate student, he worked with Roy Kishony, PhD, (HMS Systems Biology) on experimental and computational methods to study the evolutionary dynamics of antibiotic resistance. Veres is now pursuing his PhD under the guidance of HSCI Co-director Doug Melton, PhD. Veres’ work in the Melton lab is focused on using single-cell RNA sequencing to map cell fates and high-throughput screens to find ways of manipulating fate decisions. ## James H. Harris: 2013–14 recipient The fourth recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award is James M. Harris, currently an MD/PhD (MSTP) candidate at Harvard Medical School. Harris’s undergraduate thesis, “The role of pushover in compensatory dendritic regeneration in the cricket, *Gryllus Bimaculatus*,” contributed to his magna cum laude degree with honors in Neuroscience from Bowdoin College, Maine, in 2008, where he was also awarded the James Malcolm Moulton Prize in Biology. Harris has since been invited as a guest speaker for the American Society of Hematology, and has worked for three years as a research assistant primarily in the North lab at Beth Israel, but also in the Goessling Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Harris has authored seven papers and presented posters at multiple symposiums. He now works in the Arlotta Lab at Harvard University, and continues to make great strides in his research. ## Srinivas Viswanathan: 2009–11 recipient The third recipient of the HSCI Medical Scientist Training Fellowship award was Srinivas Viswanathan, PhD. Viswanathan completed both his graduate and postdoctoral research in the Daley lab at Children’s Hospital Boston, exploring the role of lin-28 in microRNA biogenesis as a central figure in cancer and cellular reprogramming. His inducible mouse model of Lin-28 expression has shown a fascinating cancer-stem cell phenotype. Viswanathan left the Daley lab to complete his medical studies and finished his MD-PhD program in May 2011. He received a stipend and tuition support from the HSCI for the final two years of his MD studies. ## Zuzana Tothova: 2007–09 recipient The second recipient of the HSCI award was Zuzana Tothova, MD, PhD, who completed her doctorate at Harvard Medical School in May 2007. Her dissertation work, entitled "Role of forkhead transcriptional factors in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis," took place in the Gilliand lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Tothova reentered clinical rotations in the summer of 2007 and continued her medical school education. Tothova received HSCI tuition and stipend support for her MD Program from 2007-2009. Her long-term goal is to pursue a career as a physician scientist interested in normal and malignant stem cell biology. Zuzana received her MD from Harvard medical School in June 2009. ## Ashutosh Jadav: 2005–07 recipient The first HSCI Medical Scientist Fellowship award was given in 2005 to Ashutosh Jadhav, MD, PhD, whose thesis work was carried out in the Cepko lab, part of the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, where he studied the development of the mammalian retina. The title of his thesis was "Regulation of vertebrate retinal development by the Notch signaling pathway." Jadhav completed his PhD in Genetics in the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard University in April 2005 and completed his medical degree at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology in June 2007. Jadhav received tuition and stipend support from HSCI for his MD program’s final two years, 2005-07. He then started his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Department of Neurology.