Honors and Grants

Neurosurgery & Neurology Research Conference

The Neurology/Neurosurgery Interest Group (SIGN/AANS chapter) at The Warren Alpert Medical School hosted the 8th Annual Student Neurosurgery & Neurology Research Conference (SNRC) on Dec. 3. This year’s conference brought together 123 student presenters from more than 100 institutions worldwide, along with keynote speakers and judges from Brown, Harvard, Yale, and Northwestern. The event included poster sessions, plenary research talks, and a patient panel supported by the Brown Medical Alumni Association. Featured keynote speakers included Dr. Dimitri Krainc (president of the American Neurological Association) and Dr. Jeffrey Schweitzer (Functional Neurosurgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School).

Honors

Edward Akelman, chair of Orthopaedics, received the 2025 Milton W. Hamolsky, MD Outstanding Physician of the Year Award. The award recognizes physicians for exceptional contributions to patient care and leadership, and is awarded by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University Health.

Liang Cheng, Director of Anatomic Pathology and Director of Molecular Pathology at Lifespan Academic Medical Center, Vice Chair for Translational Research at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and President at International Society of Urological Pathology,  

Emily Miller, Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the MONA Medal for Research award at The Marcé of North America (MONA) Biannual Conference held in November.

Marie-Rachelle Narcisse, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, completed an MSc in Sleep Medicine - Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences) at the University of Oxford.

Tanya Rogo, Pediatrics, will receive the Art of Healing Award from the Harlem Fine Arts Show in February.

Juan Alfonzo, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biochemistry (MCB), received $186,074 “tRNA modification reprogramming and translational remodeling in cancer,” a subaward through the University of Massachusetts Medical School from the National Cancer Institute.  

Thomas B. Bartnikas, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, received $146,486 for “Aberrant N-glycosylation in Crohn's disease: Opportunity for precision medicine,” a subaward through Johns Hopkins University from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 

Vivian G. Cheung, MCB, received $2,300,000 for “Determine the Bases and Sugars of Human RNA: A Periodic Table of RNA - 2025” from The Warren Alpert Foundation. 

Rich Jones, psychiatry and human behavior and of neurology, and co-PI Lindsay Kobayashi, of the University of Michigan, received $1.9 million to train researchers to analyze worldwide dementia studies from the National Institute on Aging.

Three Legorreta Cancer Center faculty members have been selected to receive the 2026 American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants:  

• Dr. Martin Taylor: “Targeting human line-1 for preclinical cancer prevention”
• Dr. Ari Pelcovitz: “Optimizing the potential of T cell-directed immunotherapy in splenic marginal zone and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma”
• Dr. Katelyn Fox: “Co-design of an intervention to support well-being for caregivers of children with cancer”
  
  Sergej Djuranovic, MCB, received $164,550 for “tRNA modification reprogramming and translational remodeling in cancer,” a subaward through the University of Massachusetts Medical School from the National Cancer Institute. He also received $44,790 for “Targeting tumor innate immune signaling in pancreatic cancer ,” a subaward through Washington University in Saint Louis from the National Cancer Institute.

Slavica Pavlovic-Djuranovic, MCB, received $210,113 for “Increasing mRNA translation to treat neurodegeneration,” a subaward through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Alexander Jaworski, Neuroscience, received $45,006 for Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Neuro 2025-2026, a subaward through the University of Rhode Island from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.  

Anne S. Lee, Pediatrics, received $200,000 for “NeoIMPACT: Neonatal Integrated Management Platform for AI-Assisted Care and Triage” from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.

Vasundhara  Singh, graduate student, received $148,614 for “Investigating the Role of AIMP2 in Cardiac Stress Responses” from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sponsors are Federica Accornero and Juan Alfonzo.