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STAT Wunderkinds

STAT set out to celebrate the unheralded heroes of science and medicine, poring over hundreds of nominations from across North America in search for the next generation of scientific superstars. We were on the hunt for the most impressive doctors and researchers on the cusp of launching their careers, but not yet fully independent.

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STAT Wunderkinds

Meet the 2023 STAT Wunderkinds

This year, as in past years, we’ve found inspiring stories and innovative research. All are blazing new trails as they attempt to answer big questions in science and medicine.

 

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Ahmed Ahmed

Brigham and Women’s

Blending public policy with medicine to learn about the healthcare workforce

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Amir Baniassadi

Marcus Institute for Aging Research | Harvard Medical School

Engineer Amir Baniassadi moved from studying heat to researching how heat affects elderly people

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Adam Beckman

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

A background that bridges medicine and business made him a natural advisor to the Biden administration’s top doctor

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Divya Bezwada

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Divya Bezwada thought she wanted to go to medical school. Now, as a cancer researcher, she doesn’t see herself doing anything else

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Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza

Yale School of Medicine

For Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza, a high school health class fueled a desire to unravel psychiatry’s mysteries

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Katharine P. Callahan

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

As an ethicist and neonatologist, Katharine “KP” Callahan studies how genetic testing is used in the care for the sickest newborns

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Kristine Chua

University of California at Santa Barbara

Kristine Chua wanted to work with people, not pipettes

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Isabel Rose Fulcher

Delfina

Isabel Fulcher uses statistics to find and mitigate risks during pregnancy

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Lauren Ghazal

University of Rochester

Understanding cancer’s “financial toxicity” from personal experience

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Tetsuhiro Harimoto

Harvard University

The promise of ‘living medicine’ brought Tetsuhiro Harimoto from Wall Street to the lab

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Ruey Hu

Yale School of Medicine

Ruey Hu brings his multifaceted and innovative personality into the world of cardiology.

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Thomas Hwang

Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital

A passion for rulemaking

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Mijin Kim

Memorial Sloan Kettering

In Mijin Kim’s science, a bridge between fundamental chemistry and disease diagnosis

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Zhibin (Ben) Liang

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

A new way of looking at Alzheimer’s treatment

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Xueqiu Lin

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Shining a light on the general principles of gene expression

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Siru Liu

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Using AI to improve access and reduce disparities

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Nina Masters

CDC

As a student, Nina Masters wanted to craft new vaccines. Then a campus outbreak pushed her to pivot to vaccine uptake.

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Ahmad Nabhan

Genentech

Controlling the most dangerous cell in the human body

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Aditya Raguram

Whitehead Institute

Looking to nature for better ways to get CRISPR into cells

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Sachit Saksena

Flagship Pioneering

Taking guesswork out of drug discovery

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Emma Sartin

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

A multidisciplinary approach to understanding racial disparities in child traffic injuries

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Orli Snir

Rockefeller University

With a fresh set of eyes, a Rockefeller researcher milks the answer to an insect’s evolutionary mystery

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Valerie Tornini

Yale School of Medicine

Valerie Tornini doesn’t really believe in wunderkinds. She believes in persistence and community

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Ruth-Alma Turkson-Ocran

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Ruth-Alma Turkson-Ocran chose nursing over medical school. Now she’s a leading cardiovascular researcher

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Josh Tycko

Harvard University

Engineering simpler solutions for genetic medicine

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Cel Welch

Brown University, Stanford University

Biomedical engineer Cel Welch studies how electronics and the human body interact at a cellular level

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Wei Kelly Wu

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Kelly Wu is looking to animals for answers to increase the supply of transplant organs.

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Zhi Yu

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Zhi Yu wants to find precise targets in the broad world of cardiovascular disease

The Wunderkinds were selected solely by STAT's editorial staff. The award sponsor had no input in the decision-making process and the awardees have received no financial benefit from the sponsor.

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