Research Fellowship Grants & Young Clinician Investigator Awards
As the premier funder of neurosurgical studies, the Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation (NREF) provides funding for studies in basic, translational and patient-oriented clinical research annually for North American investigators.
Research Fellowship Grant
One year, up to $50,000
Open to residents only, the NREF Research Fellowship Grant provides funding for neurosurgeons preparing for academic careers as clinician investigators. Applicants must be physicians who are currently accepted into an approved residency training program in neurological surgery within North America. One hundred percent of the resident’s research effort during the funding period of this grant should be devoted to the project.
Young Clinician Investigator Award
One year, up to $50,000
The NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award supports junior faculty pursuing careers as clinical investigators. Applicants must be neurosurgeons, no more than two years from completing neurosurgical residency training or clinical fellowship, who are full-time faculty in North American teaching institutions. Fifty percent of the young clinician investigator’s efforts during the funding period of this grant should be devoted to research, but exceptions can be considered.
The NREF does not pay for any indirect costs related to our grant awards. Grants may be awarded in lesser amounts depending on available support.
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I was fortunate to develop an exciting co-mentored research program with neurosurgeon-scientist, Dr. E. Antonio Chiocca at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and neuroscientist Dr. Ed Boyden at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The NREF is a fantastic mechanism to foster young neurosurgeon-scientists in their career to develop the initial phases of their research program, and I have been very fortunate to be a recipient of an NREF research fellowship award during my residency. As a neurosurgeon-physician scientist, having the support of mechanisms and foundations such as the NREF are imperative to our ability to help conduct research to bridge the gap between the basic, translational and clinical neurosciences with our neurosurgical practice. I am extremely grateful for the support of the NREF to help foster my career goals. 
2017-18 B*CURED &
NREF Research Fellowship Grant
Awardees
Charuta G. Furey, MD
Barrow Neurological Institute
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & SBTF Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Characterizing glioma evolution through longitudinal cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsy in a Phase 0/2 clinical trial of niraparib for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Nader Sanai, MD, FAANS
Vivek Sean Gupta, MD
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Microstructural Injury to the Brainstem and Spinal Cord Determines Outcomes in Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia
- Sponsor: David Limbrick, MD, PhD, FAANS
Natasha T. L. Ironside, MD
University of Virginia
- Award: 2023-24 Academy of Neurological Surgeons Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Predicting Hematoma Expansion in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage
- Sponsor: Gustavo Kunde Rohde, PhD and Min Park, MD, FAANS
Elena Kurudza, MD
University of Utah
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & Andrew T. Parsa Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Utilizing Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophages (CAR-M) to promote tumor phagocytosis and repolarization of the tumor microenvironment in Glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Minna Roh-Johnson, PhD
Ryan M. Naylor, MD
Mayo Clinic
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications of KRAS Mutations in Brain Arteriovenous Malformations
- Sponsor: David J. Daniels, MD, PhD, FAANS
Peyton Lubbock Nisson, MD
Barrow Neurological Institute
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & Bagan Family Foundation Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Vascular-Endothelial-Growth-Factor A and Angiogenesis Role in the Growth and Rupture of Intracranial Aneurysms. The Missing Link in a Complex Pathophysiologic Process in Females
- Sponsor: Tomoki Hashimoto
Jonathon J. Parker MD, PhD
Mayo Clinic Arizona
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Short Fiber Stimulation to Suppress Epileptiform Activity in Human Neocortical Epilepsy
- Sponsor: Greg Worrell, MD, PhD
Kunal Patel, MD
UCLA
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & Gladiator Project Young Clinician Investigator Award on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Visualization, quantitation, and targeting of infiltrating glioblastoma cells with pH sensitive amine chemical exchange saturation transfer magnetic resonance imaging
- Sponsor: Harley Kornblum, MD, PhD
Jeffrey I. Traylor, MD
UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Award: 2023-24 NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Investigating acquired resistance to DHODH inhibition in IDH mutant glioma
- Sponsor: Samuel McBrayer, PhD
Click here to learn more about this year’s award recipients’ research projects.
Nitin Agarwal, MD
Washington University School of Medicine
- Award: NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Predicting Spinal Cord Injury Prognosis Using a Novel Non-Invasive Biomarker
- Sponsor: Wilson Z. Ray MD, FAANS
Diane Aum, MD
Washington University in St. Louis
- Award: NREF & Henry G. Schwartz Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Determinants of Cognitive Outcome through Functional Resting State and White Matter Connectivity in Pediatric Patients with Posterior Fossa Tumors
- Sponsor: Eric Leuthardt, MD, FAANS
Gabriel Friedman, MD
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Award: NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Recapitulating proprioceptive function via biological actuation in a neural prosthetic model
- Sponsor: Hugh Herr, PhD
Christopher S. Graffeo, MD
University of Oklahoma
- Award: NREF & Albert L. Rhoton Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Skull Basics: Novel Tools for Simulation & Education in Complex Cranial Surgery
- Sponsor: Ian F. Dunn, MD, FAANS
Trevor Hardigan, MD, PhD
Mount Sinai Health System
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The role of IL-3 in the regulation of post-stroke inflammation
- Sponsor: Filip K. Swirski, PhD
Peter J. Madsen, MD
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Development of CAR-T cells against claudin-6 in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor
- Sponsor: Adam C. Resnick, PhD
Angela M. Richardson, MD, PhD
Indiana University
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Tumor selective retroviral replicating vectors for the treatment of leptomeningeal medulloblastoma
- Sponsor: Karen E. Pollok, PhD
Ashish Shah, MD
University of Miami
- Award: NREF & Andrew T. Parsa Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Epigenetic potentiation of immune checkpoint inhibition through endogenous retroviral immune responses
- Sponsor: Maria Figueroa
Genaro R. Villa, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Award: NREF & StacheStrong Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Assessing Tumor-Associated Macrophage Plasticity Regulation by HNRNPH1 to Augment Adaptive Antitumor Responses in Glioblastoma
- Sponsor: E. Antonio Chiocca, MD PhD FAANS
Mark William Youngblood, MD
Northwestern University
- Award: 2022-23 NREF & Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation (SBTF) Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Molecular Markers of Meningioma Growth Arrest after HDAC Inhibition
- Sponsor: Craig Horbinski, MD, PhD
John K. Yue, MD
University of California, San Francisco
- Award: NREF & Bagan Family Foundation Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Improving Traumatic Brain Injury Stratification and Prognosis through Big Data Harmonization and Machine Learning
- Sponsor: Geoffrey T. Manley, MD, PhD, FAANS
Click here to learn more about this year’s award recipients.
Oluwaseun O. Akinduro, MD
Mayo Clinic
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Targeting Chordoma Therapy Resistance Through the YAP Pathway
- Sponsor: Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, MD, FAANS
Ahmed J. Awad, MD
Medical College of Wisconsin
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The Contribution of Prefrontal Cortical-Thalamic Circuits to Fear Memory and Extinction: Potential New Targets for Deep Brain Stimulation
- Sponsor: Marieke Gilmartin, PhD
Daniel Eichberg, MD
University of Miami
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & StacheStrong Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Investigating the Role of CD97/ADGRE5 Receptor in Glioblastoma Invasion and its Mechanism of Action in the Brain
- Sponsor: Michael Ivan, MD and Nagi Ayad, PhD
Matthew Garrett, MD, PhD
University of Cincinnati
- Award: 2021-22 B*CURED & NREF Research Fellowship Grant/Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Targeting the malignant epigenome of IDH1 mutant gliomas
- Sponsor: Richard Lu
Katherine G. Holste, MD
University of Michigan
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The role of complement in pediatric intraventricular hemorrhage and development of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus
- Sponsor: Guohua Xi, MD, PhD
Benjamin R. Johnston MD, PhD
Brigham & Women’s Hospital
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Medtronic Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Optogenetic Motor Neuron Transplantation to Restore Bladder Contraction
- Sponsor: Justin Brown, MD, FAANS
Michael B. Keough, MD, PhD
Stanford University
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Andrew T. Parsa Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Targeting neuron-glioma circuit dynamics as a novel treatment for high-grade glioma
- Sponsor: Michelle Monje, MD, PhD
Alexander Ksendzovsky, MD, PhD
University of Maryland
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: LDHA enzyme may form the link between metabolism and epilepsy
- Sponsor: Peter Crino, MD, PhD
Nealen Gordon Laxpati, MD, PhD
Emory University
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Bagan Family Foundation Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Optogenetic Neuromodulation of the Septohippocampal Axis for the Treatment of Epilepsy
- Sponsor: Robert E. Gross, MD, PhD, FAANS
Mark Alexander MacLean, MD, MSc
Dalhousie University
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Exploring Mechanisms Underlying Mild Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Microvasculopathy
- Sponsor: Alon Friedman, MD, PhD
Geoffrey W. Peitz, MD
University of Texas-San Antonio
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Academy of Neurological Surgeons Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Closed-loop sodium administration system for treatment of cerebral edema and intracranial hypertension: System development and proof-of-concept evaluation in a rat model
- Sponsor: Naomi Sayre
Anja I. Srienc, MD, PhD
Washington University
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins Research Fellowship Grant jointly sponsored by Arvind Ahuja, MD, FAANS, and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- Project Title: Characterizing Changes in Functional Connectivity After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Using Bedside Diffuse Optical Tomography
- Sponsor: Joseph P. Culver, PhD
Justin Zihan Wang, MD, BSc
University of Toronto
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation (SBTF) Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Establishing the utility of plasma-based liquid biopsies in meningiomas using cell-free methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with deep sequencing
- Sponsor: Gelareh Zadeh, MD, PhD, FAANS, FRCSC
Jacob Stewart Young, MD
University of California, San Francisco
- Award: 2021-22 NREF & StacheStrong Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title:In Vivo Gene Screening and Transcriptome Editing with Retroviral-Delivered CRISPR-Cas for the Treatment of Glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Manish K. Aghi, MD, PhD, FAANS
Click here to learn more about this year’s award recipients.
Ahmad Alhourani, MD
University of Louisville
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Dissecting the role of the subthalamic nucleus in inhibitory control
Mohammed Alshareef, MD
Medical University of South Carolina
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery & NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The Role of Complement in Secondary Injury after Neonatal Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage
Matei A. Banu, MD
Columbia University
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Tumors & NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Leveraging metabolic vulnerabilities of cell populations in the glioma microenvironment to trigger ferroptotic cell death and immune response in GBM
Jacob F. Baranoski, MD, MHS
St. Joseph’s Hospital/Barrow
- Award: L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins/NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant jointly sponsored by Arvind Ahuja, MD, FAANS, and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- Project Title: Effects of dietary phytoestrogens on aneurysm wall inflammation and rates of aneurysmal rupture
Stanley Bazarek, MD, PhD
Brigham & Women’s Hospital / Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard University
- Award: NREF/Medtronic 2020-2021 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Transplantation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Spinal Motor Neurons to Restore Function following Peripheral Nerve or Spinal Cord Injury
Brandyn Castro, MD
University of Chicago
- Award: 2020-21 StacheStrong and NREF Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Developing a patient-derived B-cell-based vaccine, a novel therapeutic agent for glioblastomas
Victoria E. Clark, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: Andrew T. Parsa 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Characterizing Recurrent RNA Polymerase II Meningioma Driver Mutations
Laureen D. Hachem, MD
Toronto Western Hospital
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons/NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Elucidating the mechanisms of glutamate-mediated activation of adult spinal cord neural stem/progenitor cells to reveal therapeutic targets for spinal cord injury
Jennifer Hong, MD
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
- Award: Bagan Family Foundation/NREF 2020-21 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Axonal reprogramming to accelerate nerve regeneration
Ramin A. Morshed, MD
University of California, San Francisco
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Tumors & NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Identification of genes mediating brain-tropism in a syngeneic model of metastatic breast cancer
Cody Lee Nesvick, MD
Mayo Clinic
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons/NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Reversal Through Revertance: Targeting Pathogenic Mutations in Pediatric Brain Tumors with Gene Editing
Sophie Peeters, MD
UCLA
- Award: 2020-21 Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation and NREF Research Fellowship Grant on behalf of the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors
- Project Title: Neoantigens arising from alternative pre-mRNA splicing may be targeted by tumor-specific T lymphocytes in histone H3.3 G34R mutant pediatric GBM
Chad A. Tuchek, MD
University of Kansas Medical Center
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care/NREF 2020-21 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Evaluation of Novel Polymeric Substrates for Direct Extradural Application of Therapies Following Traumatic Brain Injury: An Innovative Approach to a Difficult Problem
Click here to learn more about this year’s award recipients.
Christian Bowers, MD
Westchester Medical Center Foundation
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons 2019-20 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: eICU Virtual Clinician Corrects the Discrepancies Between Ordered, Charted, and Observed RASS Scores in Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients while Resolving Day/Night RASS Discordance
- Sponsor: Christian Becker, MD, PhD
Benjamin T. Himes, MD
Mayo Clinic
- Award: Andrew T. Parsa 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Extracellular vesicle-mediated immunosuppression in glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Ian F. Parney, MD, PhD, FAANS
Christina Jackson, MD
Johns Hopkins University
- Award: B*CURED/NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The changing neoantigen landscape and associated immune response during immune checkpoint blockade in recurrent glioblastoma: a pathway to personalized tumor immunotherapy
- Sponsor: Drew Pardoll, MD, PhD
Darrin J. Lee, MD, PhD
University of Southern California
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons/NREF 2019-20 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Septohippocampal stimulation for cognitive restoration and seizure reduction in epilepsy
- Sponsor: Steven Siegel
Athar N. Malik, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care & NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Development and characterization of a mouse model of midbrain compression to explore neural circuits underlying coma and consciousness
- Sponsor: Naoshige Uchida, PhD
Farshad Nassiri, MD
University of Toronto
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Tumors & NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Establishing the prognostic implications of heterogeneity in meningioma using single-cell sequencing
- Sponsor: Gelareh Zadeh, MD, PhD, FAANS
Taemin Oh, MD
University of California, San Francisco
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery & NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Defining Mechanisms of Immune Cell Depletion in Group 3 Medulloblastoma
- Sponsor: Manish Aghi, MD, PhD, FAANS
Bhuvic Patel, MD
Washington University
- Award: Academy of Neurological Surgeons/NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Identifying Biomarkers and Mechanisms of Radiation Resistance in Grade II Meningiomas
- Sponsor: Albert H. Kim, MD, PhD, FAANS
Jennifer Sokolowski, MD, PhD
University of Virginia
- Award: L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant jointly sponsored by Arvind Ahuja, MD, FAANS, and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- Project Title: Role of the meninges and meningeal lymphatic system in the immune response after ischemic stroke
- Sponsor: Yashar Kalani, MD, PhD, FAANS
Risheng Xu, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Pain & NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: BVR and NRF2 as potential regulators of oxidative stress and pain in trigeminal neuralgia
- Sponsor: Michael Lim, MD, FAANS
John R. Williams, MD
University of Washington
- Award: Bagan Family Foundation & NREF 2019-20 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Examination of brainstem lesions on CT following Severe TBI for prognostication of outcome
- Sponsor: Christine Mac Donald
Thomas J. Wilson, MD
Stanford University
- Award: Medtronic 2019-20 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Deep Machine Learning and Convolutional Neural Networks for the Evaluation and Classification of Peripheral Nerve Tumors
- Sponsor: Robert J. Spinner, MD, FAANS
Click here to learn more about this year’s award recipients.
Stephano Chang, MD
University of Miami
- Award: NREF & Medtronic 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Multi-target neurostimulation to recover locomotion in a large animal model of contusive spinal cord injury
- Sponsor: James Guest, MD, PhD
Bryan Choi, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: NREF & B*CURED 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy for Glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Bob Carter, MD, PhD, FAANS
Domenico A. Gattozzi, MD
University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute (KUMCRI)
- Award: L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins NREF 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant jointly sponsored by Arvind Ahuja, MD, FAANS, and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- Project Title: Comparative Use of Human Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their Exosome Derivatives for Functional Improvement after Induced Ischemic Stroke: a Springboard for Translational Studies
- Sponsor: Randolph J. Nudo, PhD
Benjamin L. Grannan, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: NREF & American Academy of Neurological Surgery 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Studying the neural encoding of social interaction in the primate amygdala using a game theory task
- Sponsor: Ziv Williams, MD, FAANS
Ammar H. Hawasli MD, PhD
Washington University
- Award: NREF/Bagan Family Fellowship 2018-2019 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Evaluation of the Human Cortical Connectome as a Biomarker of Spinal Cord Injury
- Sponsor: Wilson Z. Ray, MD, FAANS
Teddy Kim, MD
Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Award: Andrew T. Parsa Research Fellowship 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: VSV-LASV as oncolytic virus therapy for glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Douglas Lyles, PhD
Maria Peris-Celda, MD, PhD
Albany Medical College
- Award: Rhoton Young Clinician Investigator Award for Neuroanatomical Research
- Project Title: North-East Anatomy Laboratory
- Sponsor: Alan S. Boulos, MD, FAANS
Bornali Kundu, MD
University of Utah
- Award: NREF and AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Spreading depolarizations in subdural hematoma
- Sponsor: Kevin C. Brennan, MD, & John D. Rolston, MD, PhD
Stefan Lang, MD
University of Calgary
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Tumors 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Facilitating pre-operative sensori-motor network plasticity with non-invasive brain stimulation and prehabilitation in patients with diffuse glioma: a multimodal TMS/TDCS/fMRI study
- Sponsor: John Kelly, PhD, MD
Whitney E. Parker, MD, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University
- Award: NREF and AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The Role of Novel NMDA Receptor Variants in Human Brain Development and Epilepsy
- Sponsor: M. Elizabeth Ross, MD, PhD
Michael Safaee, MD
University of California, San Francisco
- Award: American Academy of Neurological Surgery 2018-19 Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Molecular targeting of CD97 as a therapeutic approach for glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Manish Aghi, MD, PhD, FAANS
Brian J. A. Gill, MD
Columbia University
- Award: NREF & American Academy of Neurological Surgery 2018-19 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Electrophysiological Properties of the Peritumoral Region in a Slice Model Glioma Associated Seizures
- Sponsor: Guy M. McKhann II, MD, FAANS
Anthony Wang, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
- Award: NREF & Kate Carney Family 2018-19 Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Characterization of cerebral arteriovenous malformations and their surrounding astrocytes
- Sponsor: Linda Liau, MD, PhD, MBA, FAANS
Kunal Gupta, MD
Oregon Health & Science University
- Award: NREF & Bagan Family Foundation Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Investigating the role of Wnts in seizure-induced aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis
- Sponsor: Eric Schnell, MD, PhD
Megan Jack, MD, PhD
University of Kansas
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Pain Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Neuroinflammation and Exercise in Regeneration and Recovery of the Injured Peripheral Nervous System
- Sponsor: Doug Wright, PhD
Darryl Lau, MD
University of California-San Francisco
- Award: Andrew T. Parsa Research Fellowship sponsored by the NREF and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The Role of c-Met/ß1-integrin Complex Formation in the Establishment of Brain Metastases
- Sponsor: Manish K. Aghi, MD, PhD
Brian Lee, MD, PhD
California Institute of Technology
- Award: NREF & American Academy of Neurological Surgery Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Generating artificial sensation by electrical stimulation of the hand area of the primary somatosensory (S1) cortex for a closed-loop brain- machine interface (BMI)
- Sponsor: Richard Andersen, PhD
Sarah T. Menacho, MD
University of Utah
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: A Tool to Improve Treatment Threshold Compliance in the Neurocritical Care Unit
- Sponsor: Gregory Hawryluk, MD, PhD
Arjun Vivek Pendharkar, MD
Stanford University
- Award: NREF & American Academy of Neurological Surgery Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Role of Contralesional (Uninjured) Hemisphere Activation in Functional Recovery after Stroke
- Sponsor: Gary K. Steinberg, MD, PhD
Pablo Valdes Quevedo, MD, PhD
Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Award: B*CURED & NREF Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Expansion Microscopy for Interrogation of Cancer Mechanisms and Phenotypes in Gliomas
- Sponsor: Ennio A. Chiocca, MD, PhD
Robert Starke, MD
University of Miami
- Award: L. Nelson “Nick” Hopkins NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award jointly sponsored by Arvind Ahuja, MD, FAANS, and the AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section
- Project Title: The Role of Endothelial Cell Dysfunction & Differentiation in Aneurysms Progression & Healing
- Sponsor: Joshua M. Hare, MD
Krishanthan Vigneswaran, MD
Emory University
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Identification of small molecule inhibitors of novel receptor tyrosine kinase pathways in adult and pediatric glioblastoma.
- Sponsor: Jeffrey J. Olson, MD
Jefferson Wilson, MD
University of Toronto/St. Michael’s Hospital
- Award: NREF & Medtronic Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: The Aging Face of Spinal Trauma: Exploring the Epidemiology and Impact of Spinal Cord Injury in the Elderly
- Sponsor: Michael Fehlings, MD, PhD
Jacky Yeung, MD
Yale University
- Award: NREF & AANS/CNS Section on Tumors Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Immunogenetic profiling and targeting novel immune check point regulators in meningiomas
- Sponsor: Lieping Chen, MD, PhD
Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Genomic characterization of melanoma’s metastatic genetic drivers to the brain and predictors of response to immune checkpoint blockade
- Sponsor: Pricilla Brastianos, MD
Han-Chiao Isaac Chen, MD
University of Pennsylvania
- Award: Bagan Family Foundation Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Restoring visual cortex function using self-aggregating cortical spheroid tissue or dissociated neurons
- Sponsor: Stewart Anderson
Kimberly Hamilton, MD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Award: AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: The Folate and Methylation Pathway in Regeneration and Recovery of the Injured Peripheral Nervous System
- Sponsor: Bermans Iskandar, MD, FAANS
Mark Alexander Mahan, MD
University of Utah
- Award: NREF/Medtronic Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Preclinical model of rapid-stretch nerve injuries
- Sponsor: Alan Light, PhD
Matthew Mian, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pain Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Emotional Conflict Processing in Humans
- Sponsor: Emad Eskandar, MD, FAANS
Jamie Purzner
Stanford University School of Medicine
- Award: B*CURED/NREF Research Grant
- Project Title: Exploring the Epigenetic Regulation of Neuronal Differentiation to Differentiate Medulloblatoma Cells
- Sponsor: Margaret T. Fuller
Visish Srinivasan, MD
Baylor College of Medicine/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Award: AANS/CNS Joint Section on Cerebrovascular Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Endovascular Delivery of Allogenic Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transfected with the Delta-24 Oncolytic Virus in a Canine Model of Glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Peter Kan, MD, FAANS
Ananth Vellimana
Washington University School of Medicine
- Award: NREF and American Academy of Neurological Surgery Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Activation of Endogenous Protective Mechanisms: A Potential Therapeutic Strategy to Combat SAH-induced Neurovascular Dysfunction
- Sponsor: Gregory J. Zipfel, MD, FAANS
Marcus Zachariah, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: NREF and American Academy of Neurological Surgery Research Fellowship Grant
- Project Title: Circulating Tumor Cells and Brain Metastasis
- Sponsor: Daniel Haber, MD, PhD
Casey H. Halpern, MD
Stanford University
- Award: NREF/Medtronic Research Fellow
- Project Title: Responsive neurostimulation for obesity: evidence from a mouse model of diet-induced obesity
- Sponsor: Robert Malenka, MD, PhD
Ammar Hawasli, MD
Washington University
- Award: AANS/CNS Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves Research Fellow
- Project Title: Resting-state brain functional magnetic resonance imaging to predict functional recovery following spinal cord injury
- Sponsor: Wilson Z. Ray, MD
Betty Y.S. Kim, MD
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
- Award: NREF/Columbia Neurosurgery Softball Research Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology
- Project Title: Normalizing tumor vasculature to promote targeted nanomedicine delivery and therapy of glioblastoma multiforme
- Sponsor: Robert Wharen, MD
Phillipe Magown, MD
Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary
- Award: NREF and Academy of Neurological Surgery Edward H. Oldfield, MD Research Award
- Project Title: Network and neuronal activity evoked by DBS of the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex: a therapeuticmodel for treatment refractory depression.
- Sponsor: Zelma Kiss, MD, PhD
Peter Morgenstern, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Award: NREF Research Fellow
- Project Title: The role of menin and a novel approach for targeted therapy in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
- Sponsor: Viviane Tabar, MD
Ziev Moses, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: NREF Research Fellow
- Project Title: Developing a novel cortical-spinal neural prosthesis for reconstituting volitional movement of a paralyzed limb
- Sponsor: Ziv Williams, MD
Amanda Saratsis, MD
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- Award: Bagan Family Young Clinician Investigator Award
- Project Title: Tenascin-C as a Therapeutic Target in Pediatric Brainstem Glioma (AGFs) in the development of Medulloblastoma
- Sponsor: Andrew T. Parsa, MD, PhD
Gentian Toshkezi, MD
- Award: NREF and AANS/CNS Cerebrovascular Section Research Fellow
- Project Title: The therapeutic role of hematopoietic growth factors in the subacute phase of traumatic brain injury.
- Sponsor: Li-Ru Zhao, MD, PhD
Andrew Venteicher, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
- Award: NREF Research Fellow
- Project Title: Identifying human glioma propagating cells and their vulnerabilities using single cell transcriptome sequencing technology
- Sponsor: Mario Suva, MD, PhD
Pascal Zinn, MD
University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Award: NREF and AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors Research Fellow
- Project Title: Targeting Radiogenomics-derived core Periostin Correlated Gene Networks in Glioblastoma
- Sponsor: Rivka R. Colen, MD
- Kurtis Gray Birch, MD
- Eyiyemisi Damisah, MD
- Courtney Rory Goodwin, MD
- Seunggu J. Han, MD
- Nelson Moussazadeh, MD
- Ciaran James Powers, MD, PhD, FAANS
- Katie Lynn Pricola, MD
- Teresa Purzner, MD
- Jayesh Thawani, MD
- Jessica Wilden, MD
“ Shortly after winning my grant, I found out a widely-recognized academic neurosurgical oncologist – who I greatly admired – had reviewed my proposal and he gave me personal feedback. It was an honor and also pointed to how the academic neurosurgical community invested a great amount of time in this program. Looking at the alumni of the NREF research fellowship is like looking at an academic neurosurgery honor roll. The study I initiated details characteristics and career outcomes of the NREF recipients, highlights how important this grant process has been in supporting the creation of surgeon scientists. “
Analiz Rodriguez, MD, PhD, 2013-14 NREF Cerebrovascular Section Research Fellowship Grant
- Vijay Agarwal, MD
- Zarina S. Ali, MD
- Luis Enrique Kolb, MD
- Daniel A. Orringer, MD
- Rory J. Petteys, MD
- Analiz Rodriguez, MD, PhD
- Nicholas Szerlip, MD
- Michael Tso, MD, PhD
- Kristin J. Weaver, MD, PhD
- Jon T. Willie, MD, PhD
- Wael F. Asaad, MD, PhD
- Neil Rainer Malhotra, MD
- Katharine M. Cronk, MD
- Heather H. McCrea, MD
- Richard G. Everson, MD
- Timothy Ryan Owens, MD
- Fady Girgis, MD
- Matthew R. Reynolds, MD
- Michael Ivan, MD
- Adam M. Sonabend, MD
- Pierpaolo Peruzzi, MD
- Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD
- Chad Washington, MD
- Gary Schwartzbauer, MD
- Craig Shannon, MD
- Arthur Chou, MD
- Michael Oh, MD
- Sheila Singh, MD
- Nader Sanai, MD
- Sameer Sheth, MD, PhD
- Stephen Monteith, MD
- Nirav Patel, MD
- D. Ryan Ormond, MD
- Deshdeepak Sahni, MD
- Jon Willie, MD
- Christoph Hofstetter, MD
- Ning Lin, MD
- Hongyan Jenny Zou, MD
- Michael Steinmetz, MD
- Kaveh Asadi-Moghaddam, MD
- Joel Bauman, MD
- Raqeeb M. Haque, MD
- Michael T. Koltz, MD
- Shahid M. Nimjee, MD, PhD
- Zeguang Ren, MD
- Demitre Serletis, MD
- Michael E. Sughrue, MD
- Michael Lim, MD
- Aaron Dumont, MD
- John Kuo, MD
- Jonathan Miller, MD
- Rollin Hu, MD
- Rahul Jandial, MD
- Betty Kim, MD
- Pawel Ochalski, MD
- Daniel M. Sciubba, MD
- Suzanne Tharin, MD
- Timothy Vogel, MD
- Jason S. Weinstein, MD
- Gerald Grant, MD
- Brian L. Hoh, MD
- Jason Huang, MD
- Eve Tsai, MD, PhD
- Gregory Zipfel, MD
- Justin Cetas, MD, PhD
- H. Francis Farhadi, MD, PhD
- Andrew Foy, MD
- James Frazier, MD
- Jason L. Gerrard, MD, PhD
“ The recognition I received from the NREF served as a springboard for future research opportunities. I have been very fortunate with the trajectory of my career, and I have the NREF to thank. The NREF provides funding to students and early investigators that leads to great discoveries. Today, I support the NREF not only with my Cushing Circle donations, but also by directing great students to apply for the Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship. It’s the ‘circle of life’. “
G. Edward Vates, MD, PhD, FAANS, 2006-07 NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award recipient and NREF Cushing Circle of Giving member
- Ming (David) Cheng, MD
- Lewis Chun Hou, MD
- Eric M. Jackson, MD
- Adrian W. Laxton, MD
- Daniel A. Lim, MD
- Neil R. Malhotra, MD
- Wael Musleh, MD
- Lyman W. Whitlatch, MD
- John Boockvar, MD
- Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, MD
- Michael D. Taylor, MD
- G. Edward Vates, MD
- Daniel P. Cahill
- Ali Chahlavi
- Suresh N. Magge
- Joseph G. Ong
- Gavin W. Britz, MD
- William T. Curry, Jr.
- Emad Eskandar
- James W. Leiphart
- Stephen Russell
- David Cory Adamson
- Ryan DenHaese
- Michael Kelly
- Brian Ragel
- Michael Louis Smith
- Maxwell Boakye
- Steven Casha
- Amy B. Heimberger
- Charles Y. Liu
“ At a time when resources available for innovative research continues to shrink, I am very thankful to the NREF for providing me with the opportunity to pursue my work. “
Kevin A. Walter, MD, FAANS, 2003 NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award recipient member
- Ramin Amirnovin
- Robert J. Kowalski
- John S. Kuo
- Todd G. Mainprize
- Atom Sarkar
- Judy Huang
- Andrew T. Parsa
- Kevin A. Walter
- Sheila K. Singh
- Ira Garonzik
- Charles C. Matouk
- Cornelia S. von Koch
- Jeffrey P. Blount
- Nicholas Boulis
- Laurie L. Ackerman
- Kent C. New
- Adetokunbo A. Oyelese
- Michael Taylor
- Zelma H.T. Kiss
- Theodore H. Schwartz
- Dean Chou
- John K. Park
- Matthew D. Smyth
- Michael M. Woodruff
- John K. Park
- Bruce E. Pollock
- Michael A. Vogelbaum
- Gregory D. Foltz
- Babak S. Jahromi
- Sunghoon Lee
- Robert E. Gross
- John H. Sampson
- Tord D. Alden
- Judith L. Gorelick
- James M. Schuster
- Frederick F. Lang
- Carl Lauryssen
“ The NREF support was a key link between my current funding activities and my previous research efforts. “
Adam N. Mamelak, MD, FAANS, 1997 NREF Young Clinician Investigator Award recipient
- Tord D. Alden
- Judith L. Gorelick
- James M. Schuster
- Frederick F. Lang
- Carl Lauryssen
- Frank Feigenbaum
- Guy M. McKhann
- James M. Markert
- D. Kyle Kim
- John H. Sampson
- Lawrence S. Chin
- Mark S. Dias
- James D. Guest
- William D. Hunter
- R. Loch Macdonald
- Donald M. O’Rourke
- Abbas F. Sadikot
- John Paul Elliott
- William T. Couldwell
- Diana L. Abson Kraemer
- Mark S. LeDoux
- Stephen L. Skirboll
- Ian Pollack
- Gregory A. Brandenberg
- E. Thomas Chappell
- Kenneth Follett
- Jeffrey J. Olson
- Eric L. Zager
“ Our research that resulted in the first ever optical maps of functional and epileptiform activity in human patients and the resulting Nature paper was directly funded by the Research fellowship. “
Michael M. Haglund, MD, PhD, FAANS, 1990 NREF Research Fellowship Grant recipient
- Michael M. Haglund
- M. Christopher Wallace
- Joung H. Lee
- Richard G. Parker
- Samuel J. Hassenbusch
- Fredric B. Meyer
- John Aryanpur
- Gary K. Steinberg
- Julian K. Wu
- Roberta P. Glick
- J. Marc Simard
- Griffith R. Harsh
- Charles J. Weitz
- Marc R. Mayberg
- Warren R. Selman
- Joseph M. Phillips
- Steven J. Schiffs
- Samuel J. Hassenbusch