Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars

About the program 

In 2021, the Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Physician Scholars Program was established at MSK to support the translational science initiatives of talented early-career physician-scientists across multiple specialties. Mr. Gerstner’s generosity and continued dedication to the education and training of future leaders in cancer care make this farsighted opportunity possible. This highly competitive program provides top-tier physician-scientists with a level of support that is otherwise difficult to obtain early in their careers. The scope of innovation and excellence achieved at MSK depends on the work of a diverse scientific and clinical community of investigators, including these promising physician-scientists.

2025 Recipients

Brinda Alagesan, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Fellow, Medical Oncology/Hematology 
Mentor: Scott Lowe, PhD 
Project Title: Defining the role of type I interferon signaling in response to RAS inhibition

Philip Choi, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Thoracic Oncology Service 
Mentor: Piro Lito, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Investigating the function of PI3K pathway alterations in KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer

Alexander Goglia, MD, PhD 
Department: Radiation Oncology 
Current Position: Resident, Radiation Oncology 
Mentor: Ross Levine, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Characterizing and targeting therapy-related clonal hematopoiesis

Quinlan Sievers, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Lymphoma Service 
Mentor: Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD 
Project Title: Defining and therapeutically targeting BTK’s scaffolding function in normal and malignant B cells

2024

Duaa Al-Rawi, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Gynecologic Medical Oncology Service  
Mentors: Scott Lowe, PhD, and Sohrab Shah, PhD 
Project Title: Interrogating the mechanisms of chromosomal instability (CIN) induced oncogene activation in ovarian cancer development 

Michael Gormally, MD, PhD, MPhil 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Cellular Therapy Service 
Mentor: Christopher Klebanoff, MD 
Project Title: Immunologic targeting of undruggable TP53 hotspot mutations though T cell receptor gene therapy

Andrew Cornish, MD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Genitourinary Oncology Service 
Mentors: Ming Li, PhD, and Dana Pe'er, PhD 
Project Title: Immunotherapeutic targeting of tissue-resident innate lymphocytes for renal cell carcinoma 

Sandeep Raj, MD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Instructor, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service 
Mentors: Roni Shouval, MD, PhD; Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD; and Miguel-Angel Perales, MD 
Project Title: Deciphering interactions between host and tumor in CAR T cell therapy

2023

Kimon Argyropoulos, MD, PhD 
Department: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 
Current Position: Assistant Attending Pathologist, Hematopathology Service 
Mentor: Ahmet Dogan, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Characterization of neural and neuroepithelial niches and their role in the regeneration of the thymus after acute and chronic injury

Sarah Eskreis-Winkler, MD, PhD 
Department: Radiology 
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Breast Imaging Service 
Mentor: Sohrab Shah, PhD 
Project Title: Understanding and eliminating bias in breast imaging artificial intelligence algorithms: A key step toward equity in outcomes for patients with breast cancer in the 21st century

Karlo Perica, MD, PhD 
Department: Medicine 
Current Position: Assistant Attending, Cellular Therapy Service 
Mentor: Ross Levine, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Overcoming resistance to CAR T cells for multiple myeloma using novel synthetic receptor

Alumni

Susan De Wolf, MD 
Project Title: Harnessing endogenous T cell immunity in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

Juan Osorio, MD 
Project Title: Role of Fc receptors in the therapeutic activity of antibodies targeting the CD47-SIRP-alpha axis 

Samir Zaidi, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Reversion of lineage plasticity and restoration of drug sensitivity in prostate cancer: role of Janus kinase (JAK) and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)

Morgan Freret, MD, PhD 
Project Title: Choroid plexus and the cancer stem cell niche in leptomeningeal metastasis