Below you can review information on the BIDMC researchers available to mentor students as part of the Summer 2026 BIDMC-Shapiro Scholars program, including their Harvard Catalyst page (if available) and the project they have available for Summer 2026 research. Projects will be submitted through February 2026, and removed once they are filled.
Mentor: Maria Serena Longhi, MD, PhD
Opportunity Title: Aberrant estrogen receptor alpha drives regulatory cell dysfunction in autoimmune hepatitis
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a severe liver disease of unknown etiology that typically follows a relapsing-remitting course and often becomes refractory to conventional immunosuppression. AIH is mainly present in females and may progress over months or years to end-stage liver disease, requiring transplantation in about 20% of cases. In AIH, Treg dysfunction plays a permissive role in the perpetration of liver damage and is linked to altered activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). AhR is a mediator of toxin responses and modulates Treg cell immunity. Our previous data indicate that Tregs isolated from the peripheral blood of AIH patients display aberrantly high levels of estrogen-receptor-alpha (ERa), a non-canonical AhR binding partner that mediates estrogen signaling and pro-inflammatory immune responses. Our data also show that, in AIH Tregs, AhR preferentially binds to ERa rather than ARNT, the classical AhR binding partner. Importantly, Treg ERa levels are higher in female than male AIH patients, suggesting that aberrant ERa expression might impact Treg function and contribute to sex bias in AIH. Blockade of ERa using methyl piperidinopyrazole (MPP), a selective ERa antagonist, substantially boosts Treg suppression in AIH female patients and modulates Treg transcriptome, including the expression of metabolic genes linked to oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial function. We therefore hypothesize that, in AIH, aberrant levels of ERa alter Treg metabolic profile and immunosuppressive properties, favoring immune imbalance and consequent perpetuation of liver injury and chronicity. We will study whether ERa-induced metabolic changes impact the function of AIH Tregs, including their stability and response to AhR activation. These investigations will be conducted in peripheral blood Tregs and will include targeted metabolomics and functional metabolic assays. An in-depth definition of intrahepatic ERa expressing Tregs, will be performed using targeted spatial transcriptomics. These investigations will determine whether aberrant ERa levels lead to Treg dysfunction and unfettered inflammation in AIH and will identify mechanisms possibly involved in AIH sex bias and pathogenesis. Notably, these studies will aid the development of more effective therapeutics to control inflammation and halt disease progression in AIH and other autoimmune illnesses mainly affecting females.
Mentor: Aarti Asnani, M.D.,
Opportunity Title: Uncovering mechanisms of heart toxicity induced by cancer therapies
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Our laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that cause cancer therapy-associated heart toxicity. We have several ongoing projects investigating anthracycline-induced heart failure and arrhythmias due to targeted cancer therapies. We are also trying to understand how different types of tumors affect cardiovascular disease development and progression. We use animal models (zebrafish and mice) as well as human biobanking samples for these studies.
Mentor: Martina (Tina) Porter, MD
Opportunity Title: Prospective evaluation of disease flare in hidradentis suppurativa
Opportunity Title: Computational Photography and Image Processing in Dermatology
Opportunity Type:
Opportunity Description: Students will have the opportunity to work with me on project(s) related to image processing and software development for dermatology, especially related to visualizing erythema in patients with skin of color and inflammatory disease. Students will have the opportunity to work on image processing algorithm development, validation, and implementation. Through this project, they will gain experience with the optical properties of skin and light-tissue interaction, image capture and processing, and dermatologic disease. Motivated students, especially those with previous experience in software development, may be able to contribute to the creation of a mobile phone application. It is expected that the student's work will lead to the generation of a first-author publication in a dermatology journal.
Mentor: Jennifer Lo, MD
Opportunity Title: Metabolic health and skin cancer outcomes: exploring the impact of GLP-1 receptor agonists on skin cancer incidence and immunotherapy response
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description:
GLP-1 receptor agonists - commonly prescribed for diabetes and weight loss - may also affect immune function, tumor immunosurveillance, and cancer risk. This project explores whether patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists have a lower incidence of skin cancers and/or improved responses to immunotherapy. During this summer research project, we will analyze electronic health record data to examine associations between GLP-1 use, metabolic health, and skin cancer outcomes. The project offers exposure to clinical data analysis, hypothesis-driven study design, and opportunities for abstract or manuscript preparation. Ideal for students interested in dermatology, oncology, or research at the intersection of metabolism and cancer immunology. If interested, there are opportunities for additional and longer term clinical or translational research projects focused on melanoma and other skin cancers.
Mentor: Dr. Christos Mantzoros, MD
Opportunity Title: Translational Endocrinology Research Laboratory (Mantzoros Lab, BIDMC / Harvard Medical School)
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Our Translational Endocrinology Research Laboratory at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, focuses on understanding the pathophysiology, diagnostic, and prognostic mechanisms underlying metabolic diseases. Our work bridges basic and clinical science through a wide portfolio of translational and clinical studies.
Research Areas
1. Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH)/Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease MASLD)
We conduct observational and interventional studies to identify molecular, hormonal, and clinical predictors of disease progression. Our current work focuses on validation of non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for MASH/MASLD.
2. Clinical Trials in Cardiometabolic Medicine:
We are currently participating in a multicenter clinical trial evaluating the cardiometabolic effects of an investigational compound (novel weight loss medication).
3. Hormonal and Omics Research on GLP-1 effects:
Ongoing metabolomic, proteomic, and hormonal studies are being performed to uncover pathways regulating body composition changes (lean mass, fat mass, bone mass). We integrate clinical data, laboratory assays (ELISA) and multi-omic analyses to translate molecular findings into clinically meaningful insights.
Opportunities for Scholars
Students will have the opportunity to:
-Learn techniques in data management, biomarker analysis, and statistical software (SPSS, GraphPad, R).
-Contribute to manuscript preparation, figure design, and literature review under mentorship from postdoctoral fellows and faculty.
-Attend weekly lab meetings.
This experience offers an outstanding opportunity for motivated students to explore the fundamentals of research and engage in hands-on laboratory work.
Mentor: Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD
Opportunity Title: To study “trained immunity” in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD); (ii) To investigate transcriptomic data in Aging
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: We are inviting a motivated student to join our research project focused on understanding how the immune system contributes to alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). ALD is a major cause of liver damage globally, and although much is known about its direct effects on liver cells, how the immune system responds and influences the disease progression is less well understood. This project focuses on studying “trained immunity” in ALD. Trained immunity refers to the concept that immune cells can "remember" past insults (specifically by binge alcohol) and become more reactive to future pathogenic insults (viral or bacterial infections). The main goal of this project will be to understand how binge alcohol drinking can “train” immune cells (specifically innate immune cells: monocytes and neutrophils) making them hyper-inflammatory to pathogenic insults. This opportunity will provide hands-on experience in immunology, metabolism, and liver disease research, along with training in laboratory techniques and data analysis. It is an excellent chance for a student interested in biomedical research to gain valuable skills while contributing to a pressing public health challenge.
Mentor: Michael Gray, PhD
Opportunity Title: Targeting a defective host-microbiota feedback loop in ulcerative colitis
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: The overall goal of this project is to determine if a defective host-microbiota feedback loop mediated by the epithelial ER stress sensor IRE1b impairs mucosal barrier function in people with ulcerative colitis (UC). Students will have the opportunity to use biopsy-derived human epithelial organoid lines to study epithelial cell dysfunction in UC or identify features of the human gut microbiota that are required to induce normal epithelial host defense responses. Outcomes will help identify small molecules and microbial factors that can restore normal mucosal barrier function and host-microbial interactions in people with UC.
Mentor: Ken Mukamal, MD
Opportunity Title: Population Health Research on Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Dementia in Older Adults
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) is an ongoing cohort study that began in 1990 and has continued to follow 5,888 older adults through the end of their lives. Extensive information has been collected on a continual basis, including blood samples for genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, environmental phenotyping, and collection of all hospitalizations and Medicare claims. Analytic support is available, so that students can (but need not) conduct their own biostatistical analyses.
Mentor: Mara Schonberg, MD
Opportunity Title: SDM POSSIBLE: A Cluster RCT of a Breast Cancer Treatment Decision Aid for Women 70+ With Low-Risk Stage I Breast Cancers
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: We are conducting a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation surgeon-level cluster randomized clinical trial (RCT) of a multi-level intervention (a shared decision making training for surgeons plus patient decision aid) vs. usual care (UC), at 6 large health systems in 4 regions to learn the intervention’s effectiveness. Decision aids will be mailed and sent via patient portal and/or via email (when portal/email addresses are available) to women aged 70 and older with Stage I, ER+, HER2- breast cancer. before their first surgical encounter. The central hypothesis is that the novel intervention will be a key resource to support shared decision making leading to higher quality treatment decisions and as result improved care and outcomes for older women with low-risk breast cancers. We anticipate needing help with chart reviews to learn what treatments surgeons offered patients prior to the study and with recruiting patients. In addition to this study, Dr. Schonberg is an expert in shared decision making around cancer screening and treatment and is open to mentoring students related to this topic.
Mentor: Talya Salant, MD, PhD
Opportunity Title: Community Health Research
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Work with Talya Salant MD, PhD (Dir Community Health Research) at Bowdoin St. Health Center. Assist with community health research efforts including direct research activities, designing outreach materials, and supporting a community advisory board for research.
Mentor: Mingyu Zhang, PhD
Opportunity Title: Metal Mixtures and Women's Mid-life Cardiometabolic Health in Project Viva
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: The goal of this project is to investigate the impact of exposure to a "mixture" of heavy metals and trace elements during pregnancy and at 3 years postpartum on women’s mid-life cardiometabolic health. Additionally, it examines how adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors (i.e., healthy diet, physical activity, avoiding smoking, and adequate sleep) may mitigate the adverse effects of heavy metals. Participants are from Project Viva, a prospective pregnancy cohort initiated in 1999-2002 to study how environmental and lifestyle factors affect the long-term health of women and their children (https://www.projectviva.org/). Students will have the opportunity to lead research projects, conduct data management and analysis, present at scientific conferences, and author peer-reviewed manuscripts. This research opportunity is based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with close collaboration with the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.
Mentor: Mingyu Zhang, PhD
Opportunity Title: Pregnancy Metal Exposures and Diabetes Risks Across the Reproductive Lifespan of Black and Hispanic Women
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: The goal of this project is to understand the impacts of pregnancy exposure to a mixture of toxic metals (Pb, Hg, Cd) and trace elements (Mn, Se) on diabetes risks across the reproductive lifespan of Black and Hispanic women, from gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in mid-life. The project also aims to uncover how metals could be an underrecognized source of racial and ethnic disparities in the progression from GDM to incident T2D. Participants are from the Boston Birth Cohort, a large, long-standing (over 20 years of follow-up), prospective U.S. cohort that comprises predominantly urban, low-income, and minority women. Students will have the opportunity to lead research projects, conduct data management and analysis, present at scientific conferences, and author peer-reviewed manuscripts. This research opportunity is based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with close collaboration with the Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease at Johns Hopkins University.
Mentor: Wei Li, PhD
Opportunity Title: T Cell Metabolism in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: My area of expertise is cellular immunology and immunometabolism, focusing on the functions of both murine and human T cells in systemic lupus erythematosus. My long-term goal is to study genetic regulation and cellular metabolism of various cell types as well as the potential treatment during the development of immune diseases.
Mentor: Stephen Juraschek, MD, PhD
Opportunity Title: Hypertension among Older Adults
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: Hypertension affects 85% of older adults. Many have blood pressure that differ at home from clinic. Our AHA-certified hypertension clinic is one of the only hypertension centers of excellence in the country that performs 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. We are conducting a number of innovative quality improvement projects focused on improved blood pressure measurement in the clinic setting, including home blood pressure monitoring and automated office-based blood pressure monitoring. We are also creating a registry of ambulatory blood pressure measurements, which will be used to characterize blood pressure variability at home in a wide range of general medicine patients, yielding novel and previously uncharacterized insights on blood pressure regulation in a number of understudied populations. This experience provides students opportunities to: (1) Learn the process of registry creation in the context of clinical practice for rigorous quality improvement projects (2) Participate in publications related to blood pressure measurement and hypertension diagnosis at home and in clinic (3) Collaborate with clinics throughout Harvard (and eventually nationally outside Harvard) to grow the registry (4) Work with an innovative team to improve the technologic implementation of blue-tooth enabled home blood pressure monitors in clinical practice
Mentor: Stephen Juraschek, MD, PhD
Opportunity Title: DASH Groceries for Urban Food Deserts
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: High blood pressure affects nearly 50% of adults in the US. Access to healthful foods is a critical barrier to preventive efforts to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease. We are conducting two randomized clinical trials to deliver groceries to Black adults living in Boston food deserts. We will recruit participants through 3 Beth Israel Clinics. Our primary outcome will be blood pressure. This experience provides students opportunities to: (1) Learn about clinical trial implementation and would emerge with knowledge on how to conduct trials; (2) Participate in the publications related nutrition, health access, and blood pressure using data sets including NHANES as well as prior clinical trials. (3) Participate in planning novel nutrition interventions involving HUD and other government subsidized meal programs (4) Network with institutions throughout the U.S. as part of an American Heart Association Strategic Network focused on health equity
Mentor: Stephen Juraschek, MD, PhD
Opportunity Title: Equitable Recruitment of Underrepresented Groups into Cardiovascular Trials
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description:
We are funded by the American Heart Association as part of a Strategically Focused Research Network (SFRN) focused on improving diversity and representation in clinical trials. We are working with a national team of investigators from University of Vermont and Johns Hopkins University to study strategies for improving outreach and enrollment of underrepresented communities. Our team is multidisciplinary and includes cardiologists, general internists, ethicists, computer scientists, and nursing. Students have the opportunity to participate in the design of novel recruitment experiments as well as lead research for presentation at conferences and publication. Through this opportunity students will gain experience in clinical trials, clinical trial recruitment, primary data collection, and experience in scientific data interpretation and communication. Moreover, there are amble opportunities for expanding professional networks through working in a national network. We have an excellent track record of mentorship with students and would be delighted to have you join our team!
Mentor: Jingyi Wu, PhD
Opportunity Title: Cancer Therapeutics from an Epigenetic Perspective
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: The Wu Lab develops and applies advanced genomics technologies to uncover how epigenetic regulation drives cancer and shapes responses to therapy.
We explore two key questions: 1) Can changes in epigenetics make cancer cells easier to treat? 2) How do epigenetic drugs work? Students will gain experience in next-generation sequencing, epigenomic profiling, and data analysis, contributing to discoveries that bridge epigenetics and cancer therapeutics.
Mentor: Sarah Dyer Berry, MD
Opportunity Title: Preventing Injury in Skilled Nursing Facilities through Medication Optimization (PRISM): a randomized cluster cross-over trial in post-acute patients with fracture
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: Presently I am the PI of a large randomized trial in 42 skilled nursing facilities across 13 states to compare the effectiveness of a Deprescribing Care model, a Bone Health Model, and a Combined Injury Prevention Model on rates of injurious falls in patients recovering from a fracture. While the primary outcomes will not be available for sometime, our group has considerable data (by Spring 2026 anticipate more than 2000 patients enrolled) on medications, what matters most, perceptions of deprescribing and osteoporosis treatment. Students could examine variations in facility or regional prescribing practices, uptake of the intervention, or to explore the relationship between the matters most question and deprescribing. Students would have the opportunity to participate in weekly team meetings with a large multidisciplinary team. Ideally the student would be interested in leading a first author publication with support from the team.
Mentor: Sydney Aten, PhD
Opportunity Title: Influence of Circadian Timing on Sexual Behavior and Reproduction and Implications for (In)fertility
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: We are studying the influence of circadian timing on sexual and reproductive outcomes in animal models. We have also started a parallel project in humans (observational study) examining circadian rhythms in certain factors that may influence fertility outcomes. Specifically, we are looking at day vs night-shift working nurses in the Longwood Medical Area.
Opportunity Title: Understanding inflammatory resolution physiology in pain comorbid with insomnia
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Insomnia and chronic pain are highly common and comorbid disorders. Our laboratory currently investigates whether dysregulation of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) play a critical role in the perpetuating cycle between insomnia and pain. The research student will be involved in human studies that investigate the role of SPMs on inflammation and pain associated with insomnia. This is a multidisciplinary learning opportunity involving wet-lab work, sleep assessments, pain assessments, assisting in research activities related to screenings and patient visits to the Clinical Research Center, statistical analysis of data, and final project presentation.
Mentor: Janet Mullington, PhD
Opportunity Title: Human, Sleep, and Health
Opportunity Description: Research related to the group's interest in biomarkers of sleep deficiency, host defense mechanisms and recovery processes. In addition, the group is interested in women's health and pain; and also, the post-infectious syndromes and how they are related to sleep. The student project will be developed in collaboration with the research team and based on studies recently completed or ongoing. Every summer we have projects running that lend themselves well to student ancillary projects, that may involve analyzing a data set in a new way, adding a measure to an ongoing study, investigating an aspect of a study that was already planned, and/or adding your own twist to it. Do reach out to discuss specific opportunities and how that may fit with your interests.
Mentor: Ludy Shih, MD
Opportunity Title: Essential Tremor Biomarkers Cohort
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders and affects 7 million people in the United States. Very little is understood about the natural history and the biochemical and neuropathophysiological mechanisms of this very common condition. As such, effective oral medication or noninvasive treatment options are lacking. Severely disabled patients can undergo surgical treatment and can be effective in the short-term, but their chronic long-term outcomes indicate that ET natural history and prognosis is complex. This project leverages data from the Framingham Heart Study as well as the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Essential Tremor Cohort.
Mentor: Feng Tian, PhD
Opportunity Title: AI deep learning-powered transcriptomic analysis and drug mining for ALS and Alzheimer's disease
Mentor: Yarden Fraiman, MD
Opportunity Title: Understanding Macro-level Drivers of Inequity for Infants and Children
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Dr. Fraiman's lab is a health services health equity research lab focused on measuring, understanding, and addressing the modifiable macro-level drivers--structural and institutional racism--that drive inequity for newborns and across their life-course within and outside of the healthcare system. Research opportunities include large data epidemiologic research, chart review and data extraction, qualitative research, implementation science, and clinical equity-focused quality improvement. Students will receive hands-on mentorship from Dr. Fraiman and members of the research team. Students will have a scholarly project to present at the completion of the mentored experience and will be included as authors, including as first authors, when projects are completed.
Mentor: Elysia Larson, Sc.D.
Department: OBGYN
Opportunity Title: Research to Optimize Doula Collaboration for Perinatal Health
Opportunity Description: Doulas are trained professionals who provide informational, emotional, and physical support to individuals from pregnancy through the postpartum period. Doulas collaborate with clinicians to promote positive patient experiences and outcomes. The student will have the opportunity to work with our lab as we test and evaluate different interventions that have been co-designed by doulas, clinicians, and patients to optimize collaboration for perinatal health. The student will join the study team in designing data collection instruments, collecting data, analyzing data (both quantitative and qualitative options available), and presenting findings for dissemination. The student will learn research methods related to implementation science and health services research.
Mentor: Stephen Wagner, MD
Department: OBGYN
Opportunity Title: Identifying associations with Postpartum Hemorrhage and Neonatal Adverse Outcomes
Opportunity Description: This opportunity will involve working with a large dataset of over 5,000 deliveries to identify factors associated with maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. The student should anticipate half their time being spent on data extraction and half their time being spent on analysis and writing up results. It is expected that the student with be first author on an abstract to the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Annual Meeting and subsequently publish their findings as a manuscript.
Mentor: Benjamin Freedman
Opportunity Title: Advanced Therapies for Healing Orthopaedic Tissues
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: This project offers an exciting opportunity for students to develop a project at the interface of soft tissue repair, tendon aging, biomaterials, and therapeutics. The aim of this project is to conduct research on translational orthopaedic research, with a focus on exploring the potential of various biomaterials and drug delivery strategies to improve soft tissue repair and to address issues related to tendon aging. The student will work under the supervision of Benjamin Freedman, PhD, a renowned researcher in this field. Possible hands-on projects include the development of novel biomaterials for soft tissue repair, testing the efficacy of various drug delivery strategies for promoting tissue repair, and exploring the role of inflammation in tendon aging. The student will have access to cutting-edge equipment and resources to facilitate their research. Alternatively, the student can choose to write a first-authored review paper/perspective that summarizes current knowledge on translational orthopaedic research in biomaterials, drug delivery, and tendon aging. This would involve conducting an extensive literature review, analyzing and synthesizing data, and writing a comprehensive paper that will contribute to the knowledge base in this field.
Mentor: Isabel Castanho, PhD
Department: Pathology
Opportunity Title: Cellular and molecular signatures associated with cognitive resilience and resistance to Alzheimer's disease in centenarian brains
Opportunity Type: Basic Science Research
Opportunity Description: The student will gain hands-on experience in the analysis of high-dimensional transcriptomic data, including spatial transcripomics, single-nucleus, and bulk RNA-seq datasets. They will develop foundational skills in data preprocessing, quality control, normalization, differential expression analysis, and data visualization using bioinformatics tools, such as Seurat and other R-based analysis pipelines. The intern will also learn how to interpret transcriptomic data in the context of Alzheimer's disease, particularly focusing on cellular and molecular signatures associated with cognitive resilience in centenarian brains. Additionally, the intern will enhance their scientific communication skills by participating in virtual lab meetings and presenting progress updates.
Mentor: Dr. Kipp Weiskopf, MD
Opportunity Title: Immunoengineering of Novel Antibody Therapies for Cancer
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: The Weiskopf Lab has two main objectives: (1) to understand the fundamental biology that regulates the interactions between the immune system and cancer; and (2) to develop novel therapies that benefit patients with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Using surfaceome profiling, we identify novel surface targets and pursue a multipronged immunoengineering effort to create conventional antibodies, ADCs, bispecific antibodies, or CAR T cell therapies. We have also developed a high-throughput platform to engineer and evaluate the anti-tumor function of novel bispecific antibodies that target macrophages or T cells. Our studies encompass protein engineering, ex vivo immune cell assays, and in vivo mouse models of cancer. We place great importance on innovation and translation, and our research and efforts have helped launch four biotech companies. We are eager to broaden these approaches to other conditions such as autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, and infectious disease. For more information about our work, please visit www.weiskopf-lab.org.
Mentor: Bernard Lee, MD
Opportunity Title: Plastic Surgery Research
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: In this scholarship opportunity, we will explore clinical outcomes research in a variety of topics in plastic surgery. Our team has a focus on cancer reconstruction, but also have active projects in other areas of reconstructive surgery
Mentors: Kevin Hill, MD, MHS & Pooja Sarkar, DO
Project Title: Initiation and maintenance of substance use treatment in hospitalized patients
Project Type: Clinical Research
Project Description: Substance use disorders (SUD) are increasingly prevalent in our communities and also in hospitalized patient populations. Hospitalized patients with SUD may experience withdrawal and are especially vulnerable to pain exacerbations in the setting of complex co-morbid medical conditions and procedures. As such, the hospital course itself presents a critical opportunity for intervention. Our team is launching a number of research initiatives to evaluate current treatment trends in opioid, alcohol, and stimulant use disorders in the inpatient setting. We also partner with the Gavin Foundation, a trailblazing organization that champions recovery efforts in the Greater Boston area. Through this and other collaborations, we aim to better understand barriers to treatment adherence, as well as identify novel approaches to withdrawal management and treatment initiation in medically-complex patients.
The motivated trainee will join us in projects identifying effective care paradigms, participate in patient interviews, data collection and analysis, as well as engage in interdisplinary care and treatment planning. Depending on academic interests, trainees will have the opportunity to work on manuscripts, poster presentations, and other presentations to disseminate their findings. Special emphasis will be placed on unique patient populations, including perinatal patients, patients with concurrent cannabis use, and those hospitalized in acute psychiatric settings.
Mentorship and academic scholarship are cornerstones of this experience and the trainee will have the opportunity to incorporate personalized learning experiences into their summer project.
Mentor: Yelu Zhang, M.D.
Project Title: Simulations and Emerging Technologies in Psychiatry
Project Type: Clinical Research
Project Description: The advent of emerging technologies is revolutionizing healthcare. Innovations such as artificial intelligence, the metaverse, and virtual/augmented/extended reality hold potential across various medical specialties, including psychiatry. My group is dedicated to exploring how these cutting-edge technologies and simulation-based methods can enhance psychiatry education and patient care. Previous initiatives have included using simulations in psychiatry residency training as means to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world clinical practice.
Students and scholars interested in this field will have opportunities to design, assist with, and implement simulations or projects integrating emerging technologies aimed at advancing education and patient care in psychiatry. Specific area of focus can be tailored to individual interests. Participants will engage in data collection and analysis to evaluate the impact of these technological interventions on learning and clinical outcomes.
Mentorship and supervision will be provided. Additionally, scholars may have opportunities for teaching and clinical shadowing, depending on their interests.
Mentor: Qing (Lina) Hu-Bianco, MD
Opportunity Title: Clinical Research in Endocrine Surgery
Opportunity Type: Clinical Research
Opportunity Description: Several clinical research projects available for HMS student participation on the topic of guideline-concordant care in thyroid cancer management. The incidence of thyroid cancer has risen dramatically over the past three decades with no change in thyroid-cancer specific mortality. National guidelines urge de-escalation: performing less extensive surgery and more judicious use of radioactive iodine. However, adherence to these guidelines remain poor even a decade following their release. These projects seek to understand the actionable factors that influence guideline-concordant care. Students may participate in one or more of the projects depending on interest and bandwidth. Project 1: Systematic review of guideline adherence in cancer care. Students may participate in article screening and writing up the manuscript. Project 2: Qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with clinicians to understand the provider- and system-level factors influencing guideline-concordant care. Students may participate in coding and analyzing interview transcripts and drafting of manuscript. Other Projects: Clinical research projects in Endocrine Surgery, including chart review or large database analyses in thyroid, parathyroid, or adrenal pathologies.
Mentor: Yong-Kwon Hong, PhD
Opportunity Title: Building Functional lymphatics on a chip
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: We are seeking a highly motivated student to join an exciting project focused on developing a “lymphatics-on-a-chip” platform—an innovative, miniaturized, and physiologically relevant model of the human lymphatic system. The lymphatic vasculature plays critical roles in maintaining fluid homeostasis, immune trafficking, and tissue health. It is increasingly recognized as a therapeutic target in diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammatory disorders, and rare congenital lymphatic anomalies. However, efforts to develop lymphatic-targeted drugs have been limited by the lack of scalable in vitro systems that accurately recapitulate human lymphatic biology. Current drug testing approaches rely heavily on animal models, which are resource-intensive, low-throughput, and often poorly predictive of human outcomes.
This project aims to replace early-phase animal testing by engineering a functional, microfluidic-based 3D lymphatic vessel model that can be used for drug screening, mechanistic studies, and disease modeling. The student will participate in a highly interdisciplinary research environment combining vascular biology, bioengineering, and translational medicine. Under the mentorship of Dr. Hong and his team, the student will assist in designing and fabricating microfluidic “chips” using soft lithography or 3D printing approaches. The chips will be seeded with primary human lymphatic endothelial cells, which will be cultured under conditions that mimic lymphatic fluid flow and biomechanical cues. Functional validation will include assays for barrier integrity, molecular transport, and gene expression. The student will also have the opportunity to test known lymphatic-active compounds—including VEGF-C, corticosteroids, and mechanosensitive channel agonists like Piezo1 activators—and compare the responses to those observed in animal models.
This summer research experience will provide immersive, hands-on training in cell culture, microfluidic fabrication, and translational assay development. The ideal candidate will be a rising junior or senior with a strong interest in vascular biology, tissue engineering, or biomedical innovation. Prior lab experience is helpful but not required. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who is curious, engaged, and excited to be part of a team working at the cutting edge of bioengineering and disease modeling. By contributing to the development of a new platform to study lymphatic function and screen potential therapeutics, this project offers students a chance to engage in meaningful, impactful research with potential applications in drug discovery and reduction of animal use in biomedical science.
Mentor: Sizun Jiang, PhD
Project Title: Spatial-omics and Systems Immunology: Finding clinical insights from tissues
Project Type: Translational Research
Project Description: The Jiang lab (https://sizunjianglab.com/) develops cutting edge spatial technologies across experimental and computational platforms towards clinically impactful and deployable assays. We broadly study a spectrum of diseases from cancer, autoimmunity to infectious diseases. Our recent work include work into spatial multi-omics technologies (Immunity 2022, Nature Communications 2023, 2025, Cancer Discovery in revision), machine learning approaches (Nature Communications 2024, Nature Immunology 2025, Nature in revision), clinically deployable technologies (Nature Methods accepted, Nature Methods in revision), and their applications to various diseases such as Chronic Rhinosinusitis (Immunity 2025), Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Immunity in revision), and others. Ongoing work including AI foundation models and agentic aspects, spatial-omics and their applications in health and diseases, amongst others. We look forward to working together!
About Mass EQHLS: Mass EQLHS* is one of 16 nationally designated Centers of Excellence in learning health system science** working to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. The institute aims to advance the development of learning health system scientists, accelerate the science of learning health systems, and forge a strong cross institutional alliance between our Mass EQLHS partners who care for over 4 million (57%) of Massachusetts patients annually at community hospitals, safety net hospitals, and academic health systems.
Mentor: Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD
Opportunity Title: Improving Healthcare Delivery Through Systems Science: Social Drivers of Health Maturity Model and Assessment Tool Student Opportunity
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Mass EQLHS* is one of 16 nationally designated Centers of Excellence in learning health system science** working to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. The institute aims to advance the development of learning health system scientists, accelerate the science of learning health systems, and forge a strong cross institutional alliance between our Mass EQLHS partners who care for over 4 million (57%) of Massachusetts patients annually at community hospitals, safety net hospitals, and academic health systems.
Led by Dr. Jeanne-Marie Guise, Dr. David Bates, and Dr. Stephen Bartels, the Mass EQLHS team is seeking students interested in helping with a project developing a social maturity model and assessment tool to evaluate health systems’ ability to screen for and address social needs. The project will involve interviews with leaders of healthcare institutions to garner feedback, collecting qualitative and quantitative data, data analysis and reporting, and writing a manuscript for publication as a co-author. Additionally, students will attend weekly or biweekly check-ins with the Mass EQLHS team based around what works best for students’ schedule and capacity. Students can receive funding or academic credit, add being a “Mass EQLHS student scholar” to their resume, and can participate in community-wide activities, including seminars and networking events. If you are interested, please contact the Mass EQLHS team by emailing bidmc-masseqlhs@bidmc.harvard.edu
*https://www.masseqlhs.org/
**https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/training-grants/summary.html
Mentor: Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD
Opportunity Title: Human-Centered Design in Learning Health Systems: Patient Partner Engagement Qualitative Study
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Mass EQLHS* is one of 16 nationally designated Centers of Excellence in learning health system science** working to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. The institute aims to advance the development of learning health system scientists, accelerate the science of learning health systems, and forge a strong cross institutional alliance between our Mass EQLHS partners who care for over 4 million (57%) of Massachusetts patients annually at community hospitals, safety net hospitals, and academic health systems.
Led by Dr. Jeanne-Marie Guise, Dr. David Bates, and Dr. Stephen Bartels, the Mass EQLHS team is seeking students interested in contributing to a national qualitative research project seeking to understand how researchers engage patients in learning health systems science research. The project involves conducting and analyzing semi-structured interviews with researchers and scientists across U.S. institutions to identify common themes, challenges, and best practices in engaging patients as partners in research. Students will gain hands-on experience in recruitment, data collection, qualitative coding, and thematic analysis using NVivo, and may contribute to manuscript development and presentation of findings. Students will join regular check-ins with the Mass EQLHS team, may receive funding or academic credit, and can add being a “Mass EQLHS student scholar” to their resume. Participants in this opportunity will also be invited to attend community-wide Mass EQLHS activities, including seminars and networking events. If you are interested, please contact the Mass EQLHS team by emailing bidmc-masseqlhs@bidmc.harvard.edu
*https://www.masseqlhs.org/
**https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/training-grants/summary.html
Mentor: Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD
Opportunity Title: Advancing Learning Health Systems: Design Your Own Research Project
Opportunity Type: Translational Research
Opportunity Description: Mass EQLHS* is one of 16 nationally designated Centers of Excellence in learning health system science** working to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. The institute aims to advance the development of learning health system scientists, accelerate the science of learning health systems, and forge a strong cross institutional alliance between our Mass EQLHS partners who care for over 4 million (57%) of Massachusetts patients annually at community hospitals, safety net hospitals, and academic health systems.
A core piece of our mission is to inspire the next generation of learning health system (LHS) scientists. We invite students to propose a unique, one-page project that aligns with the goals of learning health systems—using data, research, and partnerships to continuously improve health outcomes and system performance. Proposed projects may build on existing Mass EQLHS initiatives or introduce new ideas that advance the science or practice of LHS within participating institutions.
If you are interested in applying, please email bidmc-masseqlhs@bidmc.harvard.edu
with the following information:
• Your full name (first & last)
• Education to date (include degrees awarded)
• Current institution, degree in progress, and anticipated graduation date
• Whether you are seeking paid or unpaid work
• Desired start and end dates
• A one-page project proposal describing your idea, its goals, methods, and how it connects to learning health systems and the Mass EQLHS mission
*https://www.masseqlhs.org/
**https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/training-grants/summary.html