Nearly 100 Albert Einstein College of Medicine students presented their research last month at the third annual IMPact Day celebrating excellence in scholarly work.

The M.D. students displayed posters on clinical and translational research, health technology, and other scientific topics as part of Einstein’s Scholarly Impact and Research Program (SIRP). Their four-year Impact Course, which is part of SIRP, helps students develop research skills while working with faculty mentors on capstone projects.

“Research and clinical medicine are intertwined,” Yaron Tomer, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and chief academic officer at Montefiore Einstein, told the students at the event in Lubin Dining Hall. “This course is teaching you how to think about problems and solve them, and that critical thinking is essential for physicians.”

Research Honors

Nine students won oral presentation awards and nine won honors for their posters. Twenty student posters were also selected for display on Main Street through April.

“It’s amazing to see the range of interests with common themes of a dedication to science, discovery, and to serving our community, all in the context of patient care,” said Yoon Kang, M.D., vice dean for education and the Ruth L. Gottesman Chair in Education at Einstein.

“Understanding research is crucial for our future patients,” said Anne Lally, a fourth-year student who won an oral presentation award for her research on geriatric patients with glioblastoma. Ms. Lally was mentored by Vijay Agarwal, M.D., associate professor in the Leo M. Davidoff Department of Neurological Surgery and of head and neck surgery at Montefiore Einstein and director of the Montefiore Einstein Skull-Base Tumor Center. “The field is constantly changing, and it is our job to be at the forefront of care for our patients,” Ms. Lally said.

Donations Fund Innovation

The IMPact event featured keynote speaker Steven Mandel, M.D. ’75, who, with his wife, Heidi Mandel, Ph.D., D.P.M, L.M.S.W., has funded two paid summer research fellowships for Einstein medical students—one to support those studying neuroscience and one for those interested in psychiatry and related disciplines. Between the two fellowships, the Mandels support several students each year.

“Research is not easy,” said Dr. Mandel in his keynote address. “It requires critical thinking problem solving, and scientific inquiry—skills that are invaluable to a physician. Research is a team effort to include mentors and faculty who share your commitment to the strength of our Einstein academic community.” He added, “Resilience is the key to personal and professional success. It enables you to adapt, persevere, and thrive in the face of challenges.”

Avni Dave, a third-year medical student, said the Mandel summer research fellowship enabled her to conduct research on a project to adapt an existing mobile health application to better educate and engage young patients with lupus. The research, which she presented at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein’s Pediatric Research Day on April 9, helped her gain a greater appreciation for the need to listen to patients and to understand and work toward eliminating barriers to care that they may face.

“These fellowships are a huge help to my classmates and me,” added Ms. Dave, who was mentored by Tamar Rubinstein, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Einstein and a pediatric rheumatologist at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. “Many of us would love the opportunity to explore academic interests outside of the scheduled medical school curriculum, but we are limited by time and funding. With the generosity of donors, we can dedicate ourselves to pursuits that are meaningful to ourselves and the medical community.”

In addition to the Mandels’ fellowships, Einstein offers other summer scholarly fellowships for students to pursue. This includes the Einstein Innovation Group (EIG) Summer Fellowship, which debuts this year. The EIG fellowship aims to bridge the gap between medicine and business by pairing students with venture capital firms focused on healthcare or at organizations working on drug discovery, biotech devices, or digital health.

Students act as interns and may produce market analyses, investment memos, or reports that offer suggestions for refining products. The fellowship also offers mentoring opportunities with physician-innovators or industry leaders, weekly speakers, and networking opportunities.

“Fostering innovation is critical to preparing the next generation of physician-leaders,” said Dr. Tomer. “Through the EIG Summer Fellowship, our medical students will explore the intersection of biotechnology, digital health, and venture capital. The result will be more physicians who are translational thinkers and who are prepared to take roles as leaders in innovation at academic medical centers or at their own start-ups that solve real-world problems.”

Research Passion Rewarded

Third-year medical student Morgan Roche, who submitted two posters for IMPact Day and won a clinical and translational research award for one of them, said it was rewarding to see her research passion recognized at the event. Ms. Roche, whose mentors are two orthopedic surgeons at Montefiore Health System, Alexa Karkenny, M.D., and Mani Kahn, M.D., presented her research at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in late April.

“Research hones our ability to communicate effectively through presentation, fosters mentorship with physicians, and enables us to actively contribute to the advance of care in our chosen fields,” said Ms. Roche. “Importantly, it deepens our understanding of the scientific process—an essential foundation for future physicians committed to lifelong learning and evidence-based care.”

Originally published on Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s website: https://montefioreeinstein.org/news/2025/05/01/einstein-celebrates-medical-student-research-third-annual-impact-day-event.