Awards & Accolades Monthly Highlights

Each month, the Dean’s Office recognizes and celebrates the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff with this summary.

Paige Arneson-Wissink, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Center for Genetic Diseases, received a three-year, $747,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute for the research study “Elucidating the Regulation of Hepatic Metabolism in Pancreatic Cancer Cachexia and Recovery.” She will be studying how pancreatic cancer leads to muscle wasting. Known as cachexia, this condition contributes to up to 25% of cancer-related deaths and can significantly affect patients’ strength and quality of life. Dr. Arneson-Wissink’s research will explore the epigenetic changes behind this process, with the goal of identifying new ways to improve outcomes for patients.

Dr. Arneson-Wissink also co-authored two publications: “Impaired Adipose Anabolism in Pancreatic Cancer Cachexia Is Reversed by HuR Inhibition,” published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, and “Interleukin 6 Drives Durable T Cell-Mediated Immunity to Pancreatic Cancer,” published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Antwione Haywood, PhD, associate dean for student affairs, was accepted as a fellow in the 2026-2027 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program. The ELAM program is a year-long part-time fellowship for faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy. The highly competitive program seeks to prepare its fellows for leadership positions in the health sciences through mentoring, coaching, and networking.

A CMS team led by Erin Howe, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and vice director of the Center for Proteomics and Molecular Therapeutics, received a grant from the American Association for Cancer Research to fund their CARES High School Scholars Research Program. This grant will allow Dr. Howe and her colleagues to set up a summer program to help educate and train high school students interested in cancer research, particularly in underserved communities.

Holly Hunsberger, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and Therapeutics, received a one-year, $63,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association for her project titled “Understanding Hippocampal Circuits During Perimenopause in AD Mice.” This grant is part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s new Bridge Funding for Disrupted Neurodegenerative Research Grant Program (BFDN), which the Alzheimer’s Association created to help support early-career researchers whose work has been disrupted by decreases in NIH funding.

Mitchell Leus, MPH, CMS ’29, has been selected for the 2026–27 class of Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows! As part of the fellowship, Mitchell will partner with a local organization over the next year to carry out a service project that addresses the health needs of underserved Chicago communities. Mitchell will facilitate a weekly peer-support and social-services navigation program in partnership with Pride in Aging at Center on Halsted, a community organization in Chicago’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood. This project seeks to reduce social isolation, cultivate community support, and address mental health disparities among aging LGBTQ+ community members in Chicago.

Mitchell has also received an NIH NIDDK T35 Award through Northwestern University’s Summer Research Program for Medical Students for his proposed research project titled “Prevalence and Predictors of Liver Fibrosis Among Adults with Chronic Hepatitis B With and Without HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Analysis.”

Richard Moraga, CMS ’27, was first author on a report titled “Association of Doxycycline Use for Acne with Sexually Transmitted Infection Outcomes: A TriNetX Retrospective Cohort Study,” published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. He also presented this research at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, held March 27-31 in Denver, Colorado.

Rahi Patel, CMS ’26, received the American Academy of Neurology’s Medical Student Prize for Excellence, awarded to graduating medical students who have promising career potential in neurology as seen by their institution’s faculty and residents.

Congratulations to Kayla Talebi, CMS ’26, who was selected to receive the 2026 Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Physician Professional Advisory Committee. The USPHS awards this honor to medical students who demonstrate a commitment to public health.