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Isaac Lopéz-Moyado, PhD
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
M. Fernanda Palominos, PhD
University of California, Berkeley
Akanksha Thawani, PhD
University of California, Berkeley
Stefany Moreno-Gámez, PhD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christopher Medina, PhD
Emory University
Edgar Medina Tovar, PhD
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Nick Salisbury, PhD
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Erik Kimble, MD
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
In October 2023, eight recipients of the Méndez Scholar Award were named. Their research interests include tumor interactions with the immune system, cell signaling in obesity and links between parasites and cancer.
Gina Gallego Lopez, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
Morgridge Institute for Research
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Juliana Hofstatter Azambuja, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
University of Pittsburgh
Johanna Melo-Cardenas, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Carlos Mendez-Dorantes, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Kari Price, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
Yale University
Maritza Puray-Chavez, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
Washington University in St. Louis
Tigist Tamir, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT
Christine Vazquez, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
University of Pennsylvania
In September 2022, 10 Méndez Scholar Awardees traveled to Seattle to visit Fred Hutch, meet with faculty, and present their research. Their areas of research included the study of emerging new coronaviruses, the identification of regulators of early-stage lung cancer, and the impact of social and environmental factors on tumor development.
María Angélica Bravo Núñez, PhD
Incoming position: Assistant Professor
Molecular Biology & Genetics Department
Cornell University
Lesley Chapman Hannah, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
National Cancer Institute
Aileen Fernandez, PhD
Current position: Molecular Science Liaison
Caris Life Sciences
Jaye Gardiner, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Luis Hernandez-Nunez, PhD
Harvard University
Alexis Jaramillo Caragena, PhD
Broad Institute
Brittany Lord, PhD
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Johns Hopkins University
David Martinez, PhD
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Immunobiology
Yale University
Aaron Moye, PhD
Current position: CEO and Founder – Cellforma
Daniel Fernando Zegarra-Ruiz, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology
University of Virginia
In May 2021, 12 recipients of the Méndez Scholar Award were named. Their areas of research include understanding the microbiome and how it relates to cancer and infectious diseases, biobehavioral reasons for health disparities in breast cancer, and studies of SARS-CoV-2 function and immune response. The 2021 symposium was held virtually in October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gretchen M. Alicea, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins University
David Castillo-Azofeifa, PhD
Current position: Principal Scientist
Genentech
Victor S. Cortez, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California, San Francisco
Carlos Gonzalez, PhD
Current position: Data Scientist
Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network Stanford University
Alex J. Guseman, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California, San Diego
Tikvah (Tiki) Hayes, PhD
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Molecular and Medical Pharmacology
University of California, Los Angeles
Alan Paul Lombard, PhD
Current Position: Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
Department of Urologic Surgery
University of California, Davis School of Medicine
Giovanny Joel Martínez-Colón, PhD
Current position: Senior Scientist
Merk
Jesús A. Romo, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Cathy Samayoa, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
San Francisco State University
Department of Biology
Katia Troha, PhD
Current position: Postdoctoral fellow
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Valerie A. Tornini, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology
University of California, Los Angeles
In May 2020, nine recipients of the Méndez Scholar Award were announced. Their research interests include T cell therapies, cancer outcomes among HIV-positive patients, health disparities in American Indians, and acute myeloid leukemia therapies. The 2020 symposium was held virtually in November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daniel Arango, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
Pharmacology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Arango Lab
Pau Castel, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Marc A. Emerson, PhD, MPH
Current position: Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jami R. Erickson, PhD
Senior Scientist
AbbVie Inc
Melissa Fernandez-de Céspedes, PhD, MSc
Current position: Scientist, Florida Good Life, LLC
Nicholas C. Gómez, PhD
Current position: Associate Director of Computational Genomics
Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences
Jessica Yasmine Islam, PhD, MPH
Current position: Assistant Professor
Cancer Epidemiology
Moffitt Cancer Center
Islam Lab
Yadira M. Soto-Feliciano, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
Soto-Feliciano Lab
Christina M. Termini, PhD
Current position: Assistant Professor
Translational Science and Therapeutics Division
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Termini Lab
In May 2019, the first seven recipients of the Méndez Scholar Award were named, coming from universities and cancer research centers around the U.S. They gathered at Fred Hutch’s campus in June of 2019.
Hugo Arellano-Santoyo, PhD
Current position: Senior Associate
Third Rock Ventures
Valerie Cortez
Current position: Assistant Professor
Department of Molecule, Cell & Developmental Biology
University of California, Santa Cruz
Cortez Lab
Ahmed Diab
Current position: Assistant Professor
Department of Otorhinolaryngology
Carlos Gil del Alcazar
Current position: Lab head
Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
Jemila Kester
Current position: Senior Lecturer
Biomedicine and Medical Diagnostics
Auckland University of Technology
Colles Price
Current position: Principal Scientist
Takeda Oncology
Shaila Strayhorn-Carter
Current position: Assistant Professor
School of Health and Applied Human Sciences
University of North Carolina, Wilmington