Past Recipients Medical Student Summer Research Award

2024 Awardees

Matthew Chen, Stonybrook SOM
Prevalence of Atopic Dermatitis and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Among Sexually Diverse Adults in the United States: A cross sectional analysis of the All of Us Database.
Mentor: Matthew Mansh, MD

Ana Danko, U Hawaii SOM
Deciphering nervous system processing of cutaneous inflammation in noxious and affective behavior
Mentor: Sakeen Kashem, MD, PhD

Alexander Gomez-Lara, KP Tyson School of Medicine
Prevalence of Rosacea Phenotypes by Race, Ethnicity and Gender: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Diverse Patient Cohort 
Mentor: Katrina Abuabara, MD, PhD

Austin Le, UIC  School of Medicine
Accelerated Aging in Psoriasis Severity, Quality of Life, and Comorbidities: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study 2003-2006 and 2009-2014
Mentor: Katrina Abuabara, MD, PhD

Grecia Ortiz Flores, UCSF SOM
CB1R Modulation of Itch and Inflammation in Prurigo Nodularis
Mentor: Sakeen Kashem, MD, PhD

Noah Yonas, U Michigan SOM
Prognosis and outcomes for African American men with Acral Lentiginous Melanoma across the southeastern districts of San Francisco: a 10-year retrospective chart review
Mentor: Dan Klufas, MD

2023 Awardees

Mariano Alba, U Nevada – Reno SOM
Risk of Mood Disorder and Substance Use Among Patients With and Without Psoriasis: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Analysis in a Diverse Low-Income Population
Mentor: Erin Amerson, MD

Veronika Danchine, Ohio State SOM
Peripheral nervous system senescence in wound healing and tissue repair during aging 
Mentor: Sakeen Kashem, MD, PhD

Toluwani Taiwo, UCSF SOM
Global Prevalence of Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Mentor: Haley Naik, MD

Yuying "Chloe" Zhang, UMass SOM
Investigating Healthcare Utilization and Disparities in Patients with Actinic Keratosis in the All of Us Cohort
Mentor: Drew Saylor, MD

2022 Awardees

Devin Barzallo, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Elucidating the trends in Kaposi Sarcoma in HIV-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men: A 10-year retrospective chart review
Mentor: Kieron Leslie, MD

Yagiz Matt Akisa, George Washington University School of Medicine
Practical guidance on prescribing low-dose oral minoxidil for the treatment of hair loss
Mentor: Jennifer Fu, MD

Bianca Obiakor, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Clinical Course and Complications in Deep Morphea Subtypes in Adults: A Retrospective Review of the UCSF Experience
Mentor: Anna Haemel, MD

Jennifer Laborada, University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Enriching the Pipeline of Pediatric Dermatologists: A National Cross-Sectional Study and Proposal for Best Practices
Mentor: Kelly Cordoro, MD
 

2021 Awardees

Misha Haq, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Development of a Universal Hair Curl and Texture Scale: A Delphi Consensus Approach
Mentor: Jennifer Fu, MD

Thuan Nguyen, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Evaluation of a Novel Long Noncoding RNA as a Therapeutic Target in NRAS Mutant Melanoma
Mentor: Susana Ortiz Urda, MD, PhD

Amity Tran, John A. Burns School of Medicine
NRAS mutant melanoma is dependent on Malat1 expression
Mentor: Susana Ortiz Urda, MD, PhD
 

2020 Awardees

Kyaw Zin Htet (Kennis Htet), Tulane University School of Medicine
Investigation of etiology of Kaposi Sarcoma in HIV-negative men who have sex with men
Mentor: Kieron Leslie, MD

Pyoung "Penelope" Kim-Lim, University of California, Davis School of Medicine
Development and Implementation of a Photo-Based Clinical Tool for Diagnosing and Managing Skin Diseases at the US-Mexico Border
Mentor: Aileen Chang, MD

Taylor Wells, Meharry Medical College
A Comprehensive Evaluation of Contact Irritants in Textured and Non Textured Hair Products
Mentor: Jenna Lester, MD

Yixuan (James) Zheng. University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Efficacy of sentinel lymph node biopsies in pediatric melanoma patients
Mentor: Susana Ortiz-Urda, MD, PhD

2019 Awardees

Gary Gibson, Howard University School of Medicine
Blaschkoid Lichenoid Drug Eruption: A Previously Undescribed Entitiy
Mentor: Jenna Lester, MD

Chelsi Robertson, Louisiana State University School of Medicine
Chronic Urticarial and its Mimickers
Mentors: Lindy Fox, MD/Haley Naik, MD

Shelley Chen, UC Berkeley – UCSF Joint Medical Program
Investigating patterns of disease severity over time in childhood atopic dermatitis (AD): a longitudinal population-based study
Mentor: Katrina Abuabara, MD
 

2018 Awardees

Jayden Makana Mendoza Galamgam, John A. Burns School of Medicine
A Qualitative Analysis on Perceptions of Skin Cancer and Prevention Techniques Among Minority Populations
Mentor: Eleni Linos, MD, DrPH

Niki Vora, UC Berkeley – UCSF Joint Medical Program
Development of Clinical Diagnostic Tools to Distinguish Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma and Atopic Dermatitis
Mentor: Maria Wei, MD, PhD
 

2017 Awardees

Nathan Admassu, UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program
A Qualitative Analysis of Focus Group and Cognitive Interview Data on Effective Prevention Messaging to Discourage Tanning Bed Use Among Sexual Minority Men
Mentor: Eleni Linos, MD, DrPH

Jose Cortez, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Assessment of regional insurance and access to dermatology compared with internal medicine
Mentor: Maria Wei, MD, PhD

Sara Rostamizadeh, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Effects of Maraviroc on HIV-related Kaposi’s Sarcoma
Mentor: Toby Maurer, MD