2026 VRIP Concludes
On Thursday, July 23, 11 medical students presented their summer research projects during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Visiting Research Internship Program (VRIP). VRIP was established in 2009 as an eight-week mentored summer research program for first- and second-year medical and dental school students. Students are able to research a topic related to their interest in research and health-related careers, particularly on the clinical and translational research side. In addition to spending the summer in Boston and in the labs, students also attend networking events, seminars, and other offerings from Harvard Medical School.
Many lab members and PIs of the VRIP students were in attendance, virtually and in-person.
2026 VRIP Cohort:
Areeb Ahmad
University of Central Florida
Mentor/PI: Ben Freedman, PhD Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Fatima Al-Shimari
University of Washington
Mentor/PI: Sonia Cohen, MD, PhD and Hensin Tsao, MD Massachusetts General Hospital
Ariana Ameglio
University of Florida
Mentor/PI: Lydia Maurer, MD, MPH Massachusetts General Hospital
Coralys Cuevas
Universidad Central del Caribe
Mentor/PI: Sara Neill, MD, MPH Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Maria Daniels
Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Mentor: Yi Wang, PhD
Mentor: William Pu, MD
Boston Children’s Hospital
Norman Liu
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Mentor: Rose Glass, PhD
PI: Mustafa Sahin, MD/PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital
Sarah Martin
University of California – San Francisco
Mentor/PI: Jim Naples, MD Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Alysia Martinez
University of Chicago
Mentor/PI: Timothy Yu, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital
Crystal Sanchez
Texas Tech – Paul Foster
Mentor/PI: Megan Insco, MD, PhD Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Jeanpierre Tenesaca
State University of New York Upstate
Mentor/PI: Alan Penzias, MD Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Matusala Youhannes
University of Mississippi
Mentor/PI: Jennifer Huang, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital